And Then There Was You
by Nightfall5029
Summary: Nothing is ever as it seems to be.
1. Truth

**So, this is my first fanfic having to deal with Haruka and Michiru. I tried really hard to get their personalities right, but if something's off, then let me know.**

**This chapter is kinda just there, but I know where I'm going with the story. If ya'll like where this is going so far, just let me know and I'll put up the second chapter. If not, I probably still will just to get the plot out in the second chapter. Hopefully it's interesting enough.**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot.**

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**Chapter 1: Truth**

I always thought she knew better than I did. Her gracefulness could never be surpassed, and the way she held herself, well, I guess there were some people who could pass off as perfect. She had a way of speaking, of always telling the truth, and I admired her for it.

If her gracefulness was ever surpassed, then it was by her beauty. I could compare her beauty, her smile, to countless wonders in this world, but I always seemed to come to the conclusion that she was greater than them all. Her soft voice and memorizing eyes simply made me melt. She was simply amazing.

Then there were the times that I would curse, then scratch the back of my head and smile sheepishly at her, forgetting that she didn't like that. She would make that face at me, as if silently chastising me for saying what I did. Let's just say I've seemed to rid myself of that habit.

I sometimes wished I could be like her. Sometimes. Then again, she always told me to never change. There must be something about me that she likes, and that's fine with me.

She did so much for me, and the fact that she cared about me to an extent I've never experienced before, only made me love her that much more.

Yes, I was falling in love with her. Heck, I already loved her, and I for sure thought my actions would speak louder than any words ever could do. I figured that the sincere smile I only showed her, and the way I held her those many times, would convey the emotions that I unwillingly tried to suppress. She didn't seem to take notice, and I once again began to doubt myself.

Even if she did realize my feelings, what then? I doubt she would confess her love for me since I'm not all that great. Sure, I have money from all the races I've won in F1, but that's not important to her. It's not that important to me, either. What else did I have going for myself that she could ever love? Besides, I would only have to leave her in a couple of weeks.

I had been offered another yearly contract to race, only this time instead of being in Japan, I would have to go to Europe. I would have to leave her, the only person I've ever loved. I don't think I could forgive myself for doing something that painful to her. As much of a great and understanding person she is, I don't even think she would forgive me. I would have to tell her sometime, though, and I truly dreaded the day when I would do that.

"Haruka, is something wrong?"

That voice. That lovely voice that I longed to hear all the time was speaking to me. I remember when I first heard it. I seriously thought she was an angel with her long, aqua hair and that simply breathtaking smile. I wish I could hear it all the time. I even wish that one of these days, she would speak those three words to me. I could dream.

I looked up to find Michiru staring at me with a worried look. I hated it whenever I worried her. I put on the best fake smile that I could.

"Of course, why would something be wrong?"

She stared at me with a confused look and moved her violin from under her chin.

"You don't have to lie to me, Haruka…"

I stared into her eyes, and I could see the hurt that my lie caused, so I turned away. She always seemed to know when I was lying, although I was never really good at it to begin with. Should I tell her the truth? I didn't want to break her heart just yet, especially a day before an important concert of hers. I sighed to myself when I realized something: I was going to break her heart sooner or later.

"Ruka…"

I looked up at her again, realizing that I was taking too long to answer her question. I stood up from the couch and walked toward her. She put her violin down on the piano next to her, and then clasped her hands in front of her.

"I'm fine, Michiru. I promise you." I hated lying to her, but I didn't want to hurt her with the truth. No, I couldn't do that yet.

"You know, if you don't want to talk about it, you can just tell me that. But, please don't lie to me."

Her words…how could I do this to her?

I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated with myself. I honestly didn't know what to do. I walked closer to her and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned into my embrace and wrapped her arms around my waist. I wished we could stay like this forever. Before I could say anything else, I noticed her perfume. It was one that she had worn only once before, then never again until today. I remember that day clearly. It would be the first time that I would break her heart.

"_Hey, Haruka!" _

_I looked up to find Michiru jogging toward me. _

"_You know you're not supposed to be back here, Michiru. I could get into trouble."_

"_You've never stopped me before," she answered with a smile._

_I grinned at her response, and then zipped up my suit. She was right. I could never tell her to go away. I always wanted to be near her regardless of the circumstance._

_The smell of her perfume suddenly caught my attention and I frowned; it was new. _

"_Oh, it's called Ravish," she said, reading my expression. "Do you like it?" _

_I looked into her blue eyes, caught off guard by the answer, as well as her question. Ravish…if only she knew what I wanted to do to her. Just then, she smiled, and I saw a glint in her eyes that I never have. I became hot all of a sudden and mindlessly unzipped my jacket. _

_She walked closer to me. "Are you okay, Haruka?" she asked, putting her hand against my forehead. Her skin was soft, her lips slightly open as she was concentrating to make sure I didn't have a fever. I so badly just wanted to pull her close and kiss those lips. I wanted to do so much more to her, and put the name of her perfume to shame. _

_I backed up a little and scratched the back of my head. "I'm fine, Michiru. I'm just a little hot is all." _

"_But, it's like seventy degrees in here." _

"_Well, uh, this suit just makes me hot, is all." _

_She looked down at my suit, and I could tell she was eyeing me up and down. This wasn't like her at all. Maybe I wasn't the only one who was hot. _

_I coughed and her eyes darted to my face. I could see a small hint of red on her cheeks. I simply grinned at her, and she blushed even more._

"_Anyway, I just wanted to come back here to tell you good luck." _

_I smiled at her. "Thanks, but you know I won't need it."_

"_Oh, that's right, because you're a great racer, huh?"_

_I smirked. "The greatest racer ever, Michiru."_

"_Oh, I'm sorry about that." _

_I shrugged my shoulders. "It's okay. We all make mistakes sometimes."_

_She smiled, and then her face became serious. I crossed my arms over my chest, studying her features. I could tell something was bothering her. _

"_I also…just wanted to tell you to be careful out there, Haruka."_

_I softly smiled because of her concern. I knew this girl would always care about me. _

"_I'll be fine, Michiru. I mean it's not like I haven't raced before."_

_She lightly nodded her head, and then walked closer to me. "I know, but that Yoshiro guy is racing today, and he drives dirty. Just…" she took a long sigh, "be careful, okay?"_

"_I promise, Michi."_

_I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her. I could smell her perfume even more, but my thoughts didn't come back this time. The only thing I thought of was keeping my promise to the girl in my arms._

_I remember I was on the second to the last lap, getting ready to take a sharp curve that then led into an S-turn. I had been doing fine the whole time, keeping a strong lead in front of Yoshiro, until he suddenly caught up to me. I didn't pay attention to it, thinking that he wouldn't be able to get close enough to do anything. He did, and the last thing I remembered was going upside down into a wall. Before that moment, the only thing I could think of was the fact that I had broken my promise to Michiru. _

_When I woke up, I was lying on a hospital bed, all these kinds of wires hooked up to my body, and the only thing I heard was the beeping of the heart monitor. _

_I looked over to my right to find Michiru sitting in a chair and laying her head on the side of my bed. How long had she been there? How long had I been asleep?_

_I picked up my arm and rubbed her cheek. Her skin was unbelievably soft, but I noticed lines of already shed tears. I pulled my hand back and sighed, running my hand through my hair. She must have been crying until her eyes dried up, and probably until she fell asleep. The idea of hurting her that badly tore me up inside and the heart monitor started to beep even faster. _

_The quick change awoke Michiru, as she wiped her eyes then looked over at me. The look on her face, when she realized that I was awake, was impossible to describe. It was a mix of happiness, relief and sadness at the same time. _

_I grinned at her. "Hey," I began, nonchalantly. _

_She didn't say anything, but when she threw her arms around me and buried her face in my neck, that was the only answer I needed._

I could never forget that day, no matter what I tried. To see Michiru that heartbroken was extremely painful for me, and I pray that I'll never do that again.

But, here I was, debating whether to tell her the truth or not. It was almost like she chose the perfect day to wear that perfume again. As if she knew I was going to hurt her again.

I pulled away from Michiru and held her at arms length. She was looking up at me confused, probably still wondering why I was acting this way. I sighed and looked at the floor, deciding it was more interesting. She placed her hand on my arm, and the warmth that simple touch radiated was intense. I faced her again, and stared into those gorgeous eyes. I knew I should tell her.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," I began, pulling my arms to rest at my side. "I guess I should tell you what's going on, huh?" I said, scratching the back at my head.

"That would be nice, Haruka. But, you know you don't have to," she explained.

I knew I did. As much as I didn't want to hurt her, she at least deserved my honesty.

I simply stared at her for a while, and I couldn't help but smile. She returned it with her own.

I honestly thought I knew better.

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**Soooo, I know this chapter doesn't really tell much, but don't worry, the second chapter will be much better. It'll actually reveal more of the plot and where I'm trying to go with the story. Feel free to let me know what you think, and criticism is welcome. Thanks!**

**-Nightfall5029**


	2. Lies

**I hope this chapter shows where I'm trying to go with the story. If you read it carefully, you can predict a few things that will happen in the next chapter. I'm not sure yet how far this story is going to go, because I'm kind of writing and seeing where my ideas take me. I do have one main idea, but everything else is everywhere. I hope you enjoy it though!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for the plot.**

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**Chapter 2: Lies**

I opened my eyes as the sun invading my room through the window prevented me from sleeping. I stretched my arms and legs, then popped my right shoulder. It was a new day, but somehow I didn't want it to start. I wanted to just hit the rewind button and hope that I was smart enough not to repeat the same things over again. But more specifically, I wanted to prevent myself from hurting the woman I loved.

As much as I kept telling myself that I didn't want to hurt her, it was somehow inevitable, especially for someone like me.

I had never been dependable for some people, and that gave me a dislikable reputation that would follow me throughout my life. Anytime I would meet someone, it was as if they already knew who I was and the things that I wasn't capable of. Or maybe it was all in my head. Regardless, this forced me not to trust people because each one was like everybody else.

But then I met Michiru. Once I saw that smile of hers, and the caring manner that her actions as well as her eyes emitted, I knew she was different.

She didn't care about my past, or the things I had done. Well, I did tell her a lot of things, but she didn't use it against me in any way. She accepted me, no questions asked.

Now, here I was, lying on my bed feeling guilty for what I did to Michiru. I did tell her that I was leaving to Europe, and she was devastated. I still remember every single word she said, even if it was a week ago.

"_I'm going to be leaving to Europe in two weeks, Michiru."_

_She stared at me, frowning with her mouth slightly open. I could tell that she didn't want to believe me. She was about to say something, but then closed her mouth and began walking away. _

_I quickly got up and went after her. I gently grabbed her arm and stopped her, but she tried to break free from my hold. _

_I truly didn't want it to be like this. I didn't want her to walk out on me before I had a chance to explain myself. _

"_Michiru, please, let me explain everything at least. Don't walk out on me like this."_

_She sharply turned to face me, and I could see the anger in her eyes. I had never seen her like that before. I knew I was slowly breaking her. _

"_Explain what? That you've waited all this time to tell me? You're leaving everything that you have here for your racing?" _

_I became confused at her words, almost angry. I didn't have anything here. At least, I didn't have what I wanted most. _

"_What are you talking about? You know how important racing is to me. You know that!" I yelled the last part, trying to convince her. Even trying to convince myself that this was something I honestly wanted to proceed with. _

"_But you have everything here. You can't just walk out on all of us, on your friends."_

"_I'm sure everyone will understand, Michiru. It's not like I'm going to be gone forever. It's only a year." _

"_Only a year? How can you say it like that?"_

"_I'm not saying it like…"_

"_How can you just leave me?" she interrupted. _

_So, this was what it was all about. She didn't want me to leave her. I understood that, and I felt the exact same way, but this was the chance of a lifetime for me. This was what I had always wanted-to compete in Europe against the best and reign victorious. Then again, I wanted to share all of it with her at the same time. _

_I honestly didn't know what to do. _

_I didn't answer her, knowing that anything I said would only break her heart even more. She walked up to me, her fists clenching. I thought she was going to hit me, but she just stood there, looking at the floor. _

"_I…I…"_

_I frowned down at her. I never thought I would ever hurt her this badly. I walked closer to her, deciding that maybe she would let me hold her, and that it would make everything all better. _

_She shoved me away, and finally looked at me. Before I could say anything to her, she quickly turned and ran out the door. _

_I stood there, not believing what I did. I still didn't want to believe that when I looked into those tear stricken eyes, I could clearly see what I had done to her. _

That was over a week ago, and she still hadn't returned any of my phone calls. I even went to her apartment, but she never gave me the time of day.

I glanced over at the nightstand next to my bed, and grabbed the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels. I took a swig of it, and grimaced at the burning sensation that ran through my throat. It was satisfying in a way, and I desperately just wanted to drink all of it so I could forget everything. It had worked before.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. I had a big race coming up, and I needed to head to the race track to practice. The weird thing was that I honestly didn't know what the point of this race was. The season hadn't even started yet, but my manager said that this race would determine everything. I didn't understand at all. I got off from the bed, placing the bottle back on the nightstand, and went to get ready.

* * *

I was changing in the locker room when my cell phone rang. I didn't feel like talking to anybody at the moment, but I answered it anyway.

"Hello."

There was no answer on the other end, but I could faintly hear the sound of breathing.

"I can hear you breathing," I explained. Still, no answer came. I was about to hang up when I finally heard a voice.

"Haruka…"

It was faint, and softly spoken, but I could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Michiru…," I said, not believing it really was her.

"I…I just wanted to congratulate you on your new contract."

Her voice was cold, almost as if she didn't know what she was actually saying. It was like she was a robot. It tore me apart to hear her like that, but I knew it was my entire fault. I was responsible for her being like this.

"Michiru…when can I see you?"

She didn't answer me. I knew she probably wouldn't want to see me privately, so I thought that maybe if there were people around, then she would. I had to try.

"I'm having a race tomorrow, Michiru. Do you think you'd be able to go?"

I knew I had no right to ask that of her, knowing fully that she had no obligation to go to my race. She was probably even thinking that I was crazy for asking her. I didn't care, though. I had to see her one way or another, regardless of how.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

That was all she said before she hung up.

Even though she said that, I honestly didn't know whether to believe her. But, she wasn't the type of girl to lie to someone like that, especially me. If she was being truthful, I didn't deserve it. If she wasn't, well, I guess I did deserve that her lie was going to hurt me.

However, if she did come to the race, then what? I couldn't just walk up to her and pretend like nothing ever happened. I didn't even know if she would talk to me. It was worth a shot, I guess.

I thought back to all the times that Michiru never let me down. She was always such a dependable person, regardless of what it was, and I knew that. I knew I could trust her word, and that she wouldn't let me down. Now, though, I wasn't so sure anymore.

"Tenoh!"

I turned to my right to see my manager walking towards me.

"I need to talk to you about something. It's important. Come see me when you're done changing. I'll be in my office." With that, he left.

* * *

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about, sir?" I asked, taking a seat in front of his desk.

He stared at me seriously, and I knew that what he was going to say wasn't good.

"About the race tomorrow…"

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that," I began, sitting back comfortably in the chair. "What's the point of it anyway? I mean, the season hasn't even started yet."

"Tenoh, I thought you knew?"

I sat up straight. "Knew about what?"

He lifted up his glasses off his nose. "The race tomorrow will decide whether you even go to Europe to compete or not."

"What? But, I thought it was just like a practice race or something. Nobody ever told me anything about this!"

I stood up and stared down at him. I was angry. No, I was more than that. How could he have not told me this? Something was wrong about all of this.

He stood up from his chair, his expression quite calm considering what was going on.

"You were supposed to already know about this, and I thought you did, Tenoh. But, don't get all worked up. You are going to win, right?"

I didn't say anything, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Right?"

I finally calmed down, knowing that my anger wouldn't help me in this situation. I simply nodded my head, and he smiled before leaving the office.

I slumped down back on to the chair and sighed. If I didn't win this race, then I wouldn't be able to compete in Europe. It didn't make sense to me somehow. Why didn't they tell me about this sooner? Also, he was acting too calm about everything, like he had some sort of plan and I wasn't going to be part of it.

"I have to win," I muttered to myself. I put my head in my hands. "Please show up, Michiru."

* * *

It was the next day, the day of the race that would decide my career. I tried calling Michiru again, hoping that I would be able to just talk to her, but there was no answer. I expected that.

I truly did want her to be present for the race. I wanted her to be able to see for herself how important it was to me, and how important it was to me for her to be there. I knew that if she wasn't, I'd feel incredibly guilty, and I would lose.

This race had to be my most important one yet. Not only did I have to prove myself to my sponsors and everyone else out there, but I truly did want to make Michiru proud. I did want to win, but without her there to share it with me, it wouldn't feel like I won at all.

If only she knew what she did to me, and how her happiness affected me to an extent that I couldn't describe.

I went to my locker room after I was done practicing to relax, to try to calm down. My phone rang, and when I glanced at the caller ID, I quickly opened it.

"Hello"

"Wow, Haruka, it's so weird to hear your voice so early. I for sure thought you were still going to be asleep."

Her change of tone surprised me. I didn't expect for her to call me and speak to me like what happened never did. It was weird.

I was going to laugh at what she said, and make a sarcastic remark, but something caught my attention. I didn't answer right away, but instead I frowned and sat on a bench. As faint as it was, I could hear that something was wrong, and that she was trying her best to hide it from me.

"Michiru...," I began.

"I guess you couldn't sleep because it's your big day, huh? Neither could I," she interrupted.

This time, it was clear. There was something that she wanted to tell me. I didn't know whether to ask or not, because I didn't want to force her to talk about something that she wouldn't feel comfortable about telling me. But, I wanted to help her.

"Michiru, there's something bothering you, isn't there?

I heard a deep sigh on the other end of the phone. The silence was killing me, but I knew that being patient would be for the best.

"I'm not going to be there."

My heart sank from her words. Here was a woman that I depended on, and she couldn't make it.

"What do you mean? You said you could," I explained, my voice sounding more intense than I wanted it to be.

"I know I did, but…"

"You said you could, Michiru," I repeated myself. I was in disbelief that she couldn't go, and I thought repeating to her what she said only the day before would make her realize how much she was hurting me.

But, did I have any right to become angry with her? I had hurt her only a week before, and I was becoming angry. I also wasn't exactly the most dependable person in the world, and now I was getting angry at the woman I loved for doing what I had always done. I was such a hypocrite.

"Haruka, you should understand that…"

"Oh, I understand. I understand that you told me you wouldn't miss it for the world."

I couldn't control myself. I couldn't stop.

"Michiru, you know how important this is to me. And you know how even more important it is for you to be there."

I could hear her crying. She was trying to hide it, but didn't seem to be doing such a great job at it. I should have felt horrible for making her cry, but I didn't.

I brushed a hand through my hair and sighed. The woman I loved wasn't going to make it, as important as it meant to me.

"Haruka…I'm sorry, but this isn't my fault." When she said those words, my heart sank. The guilt was finally rising up and stabbing my heart in the back. I shouldn't be acting the way I was. I shouldn't be making her feel even more miserable than I knew she already did.

"What do you mean it's not your fault?"

She didn't say anything, and I kept quiet as I listened to her muffled cries.

"Can you at least give me a reason?"

She didn't answer me, and as much as I tried to prevent it, I was beginning to get angry once more. If she wasn't going to be here, then I at least wanted to know why. She wouldn't tell me, though.

"You should already know why. I'm sorry," she said, and then I heard a click.

I pulled the cell phone away from my ear and stared at it. What did she mean I should already know? Nothing was making sense anymore. I mean, how could she do this to me? I always thought she was dependable. I always thought that she wouldn't be like I had been in the past.

I stood up and threw the phone against the locker, shattering it into pieces. I didn't care; I could afford another one. I scoffed at that thought. There were probably so many things I could afford, but there was only one thing I wanted that money could never buy.

I leaned against the lockers with my arms, with my head hung low.

"Michi…"

I sat in my car, waiting for the race to start. People were cheering for everyone else but me. I looked to the stands, hoping she would be there, cheering for me. That would be all I needed. But, I didn't see her.

I lost the race.

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**Hmm…let me know what you think. And if the characters are a bit off, then I apologize. I'm still getting the hang of writing for this series, but let me know if there's something wrong. Take care!**

**-Nightfall5029**


	3. Betrayal

**So, I'm not sure if anyone really likes this story so far. I know there's a few, but that's all really. I'm putting up the third chapter already, because the ideas are basically just flowing. But, if I feel that not enough people will like it, I might just stop the story all together. Even if you don't like it, I'd like to know why just so I can make it better. Eh…it's all good, I guess. Well, just be prepared for this chapter is all I can say. It's pretty intense. At least, I think so. But, please don't hate me.**

**I'm also aware that the characters might be a bit OOC, but I'm trying really hard to stay true to them. The next chapter will be so much better about this.**

**For this chapter, I'm going to be changing point of views. The first is Haruka, and the second will be Michiru. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for the plot.**

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**Chapter 3: Betrayal**

I sunk into the couch, trying to get as comfortable as I could. Reality was finally starting to set in, but I didn't want to accept it. I had lost the race two days earlier, and I was out of the contract. I wasn't going to race in Europe, and I utterly hated that fact.

I wanted to be able to prove myself over there, and become the best, but that dream was crushed. I wasn't going to race anymore, and for some reason, nobody would even consider hiring me as a driver. Nobody was going to sponsor me, regardless of all the races and fame I had acquired over the years.

I eventually gave up earlier in the day, knowing that all my attempts were futile, and I was wasting energy I didn't have.

My career was ruined. It was over.

Not only did I not get another contract, but Michiru still hadn't talked to me. I wasn't angry at her anymore; I had no right to be. All the previous stress and anger I had experienced for the past week drained me. It was almost like I was an empty shell, just slowly withering away as the clock ticked.

I couldn't let myself get like this though. I knew that Michiru wouldn't want me to be like this. I couldn't help it. Racing was my passion, one of the few things that I was incredibly skilled at, and now I had no chance of regaining my place in the world of racing. I blew it.

The only thing I still had was my love for Michiru. It was something that could never be gone, regardless of what happened. Now, though, I was starting to realize that my love was pointless. I loved a woman that probably would never have the same feelings as me. She wouldn't even talk to me.

I sighed and turned the TV on. It was on the news, something I hated watching, but I was too tired to really care anymore.

"_In sports, one of the top racers, Haruka Tenoh, has been disqualified from competing in Europe. It's a sad, surprising reality. Even more so, was the fact that his manager Katsu Yabe, has confirmed that Isao Okagaki will be his racer. Okagaki finished first in the race, and will move on to the preliminaries that will be held in Germany next week. The facts of how Yabe obtained Okagaki are still unknown, and are already causing controversy in the racing world. Stay tuned for more updates."_

I dropped the remote on the floor, and stared at the TV in disbelief. How was that possible? I didn't think Yabe could obtain a racer so close to the preliminaries. It didn't make any sense. I knew Yabe was acting suspicious when I spoke to him the other day. He was probably planning all of this all along, and purposely made sure that I didn't know how important the race was. That sly, bastard.

I couldn't do anything about it, though. I was out of the race, out of that profession for good, so nobody would listen to me anyway.

I went to the TV and violently threw it to the ground, the sound of glass breaking very pleasing and familiar to my ears. I had heard it too many times before.

I walked into my kitchen, hastily opened up a cabinet and pulled out the full bottle of Jack Daniels. I momentarily stared at it for a few seconds, and then threw it to the wall.

"I need something stronger."

Everything was falling apart for me.

* * *

I had to see her. I needed to speak to her about everything that was going on, even if she had been acting different.

I honestly didn't understand her anymore. She was changing, and I didn't like any of it. I wasn't going to force her to stay the same, I accepted her regardless, but she wasn't changing for the better. She was becoming irrational and materialistic. She made it seem like this race was more important than all her friends, than our friendship…than me.

I cared about Haruka, more than she apparently realized. But her? She was more focused on her racing, on becoming the best. She wasn't the Haruka that I grew to love anymore.

I loved her, it was that simple, but she was too blind to see it. She was clouded by the barrage of fans and the flashing lights after she had won an important race. I always thought in the back of my head that I could be that important, as well, even more so. But each time we were together, her thoughts were on racing, on the career she dreamed of.

What about what I dreamed of? I dreamed of her and of us being together, living together and making each other happy. I dreamed of a world that only we could live in, where there would be no distractions, no sadness. I dreamed of a life where I could hear her say those three words to me.

Honestly, I knew that would never happen. I had to move on so I wouldn't drown in the sadness I was creating for myself. I had to be stronger than that, more able to take care of myself. So I did. I pushed back the intense feelings I had held for Haruka all these years I had known her. I pushed them away from my heart, and I moved on.

She didn't know it yet, but I had met somebody else. I was afraid to tell her about him because I knew she would immediately make judgments and rude remarks about him. I knew she hated him with a passion, but I didn't get with him to spite her, or to seek revenge for all those times she hurt me. No, I wasn't that cruel.

I did it because I wanted to be happy. I knew she was too caught up in her racing to be able to do that for me. I wasn't going to wait for someone who didn't give me any time of hers in the first place.

_I sat down at the table the waitress guided me to. It was a small café, one that not many people knew about, and I was glad for that. I was able to find the privacy and quiet that I wanted, as well as the type of food. Haruka and I usually came here because the media didn't know too much about it, or paid any attention to it, for that matter. I mean, what would Haruka, one of the top "male" racers in Japan, being doing at a small, quaint café such as this one? Exactly. _

_I sat back in the small, wooden chair, and crossed my legs to get more comfortable. I opened up the book I had taken with me, and started reading where I had left off the night before. It was my way of wasting time while I waited for Haruka to arrive. She usually had a tendency for being late. I didn't mind, really._

_The waitress took my order, and then returned a few minutes later with the tea I had asked for. I told her that I was waiting for someone, and she understood as her questions ceased and she walked away to help another customer. _

_A short while passed, and I became engrossed in my book, not caring about anybody else in the café. _

"_Do you mind if I join you?" _

_I heard an unfamiliar voice say. I lowered my book and placed it face down on my lap. I looked to my left to find a young man standing next to me with a nervous smile, and holding a cup of coffee in his hands. He looked strangely familiar. _

"_I'm sorry, but I'm actually waiting for somebody." _

_I felt my phone vibrate and took it out of my left pocket. I didn't bother looking at the caller ID; I already knew who it was. I flipped open the phone and read the words:_

'_I can't make it. I'm caught up in work. Another time for sure, Michi.'_

_I frowned and the heart wrenching feeling inside was more than I expected it to be. I smirked and closed the phone before placing it on the table. I knew this would happen, actually expecting it, really. _

_Yet again I was left alone. She always left me alone. Was I really that much less important to her? _

_I heard a cough, and turned to the young man on my left again. I smiled nicely at him. _

"_Of course you can join me."_

_He smiled then sat down. He seemed young, in his mid-twenties most likely, but the glasses he wore made him seem mature. He dressed decently, and carried himself in a presentable manner. But, he wasn't the stuck-up, conceited type. He was…nice. _

_He smiled at me again, and it clicked. _

"_You're Yoshiro Takane, aren't you?" _

_His laugh was low, almost innocent. He took off the glasses, and ruffed up his hair a bit. _

"_I knew you would recognize me, considering-"_

_I immediately stood up to leave, but he grabbed my wrist. _

"_Please, don't believe whatever it is you heard," he began, standing up and letting go of my wrist. "I'm not really that bad of a person."_

_His eyes were sincere and kind. I could tell he wasn't lying. I couldn't see the harm in giving him a chance. I sat back down, and he smiled again before sitting down himself._

"_Thank you," he said. _

_I nodded my head and held out my hand. _

"_My name's Michiru. It's nice to meet you."_

_He shook my hand and smiled._

That was how it started, really. He did turn out to be a great guy, and I could tell that racing, even though it was his job and his passion, that it wasn't his life.

However, I still thought about Haruka from time to time, and even felt guilty about being with Yoshiro. I loved Haruka, and I should understand how important racing was to her. I should accept everything about her. As long as she was happy, I should have been, as well. I couldn't do that. I did understand that racing was important, but I hated that she was willing to brush me off so easily when it came to a decision between racing or me. I always had hope that she would choose me, even if it was just once. I ended up placing second each and every time.

Now, I had finally gotten the courage to face Haruka, after all this time. I wanted to see her before she left to Germany. I didn't see the race on TV, but Yoshiro had told me she won the race, and I wasn't surprised. She practiced for it, and she deserved it more than any of those other racers.

Honestly, I was happy for her. Ever since I met her, she was waiting for a chance like this. I always thought it would be different somehow, though. I thought I would be excited, ecstatic about it all, but I was mostly indifferent. I guessed it was because of how she reacted towards everything.

First, she waited until the last minute to tell me that she was going to Germany, and she didn't even seem to care that she would be leaving me for a year. If she did, well, she could have had me fooled. When she told me about that race of hers, I really was going to show up. I wanted to be supportive, regardless of the trouble I knew we were going to face in the future. I didn't want to be the bad guy. I loved her, and I was going to prove that by not holding her final decision against her. It really was difficult.

I almost wanted her to feel guilty about it at one point. When we argued that day, I just wanted to tell her of how Yoshiro and I had met, and that he asked me out, and that I said yes. I couldn't bring myself to do that. I guessed the shock of the situation got to me more than I thought, and sadness overpowered the anger.

Secondly, there was the fact that she lied to me…again. She asked me to be there to see her race, and I was going to show up, but it turned out she really didn't want me there. So, I called her to tell her that I wasn't going, and what does she do? She lashed out at me, and reminded me of what I said. I knew what I said, but apparently she didn't. The anger and surprise in her voice told me enough, and I couldn't help but cry. She was lying even more to me. It hurt so much.

I sighed and looked up into the sky with my eyes closed. I couldn't cry. I didn't want to be weak anymore. I knew I had to move on, but I also knew that in order for me to leave Haruka behind, I did need to speak with her.

I stood in front of her door with my left fist raised in front of me. I couldn't move it; I was afraid. I straightened out my skirt with my right hand, and then cleared my throat. I had to get it over with.

I knocked on the door twice then waited, but there was no answer. I knocked on the door three more times, but there was still no answer. I quickly glanced around me, and noticed that both her car and bike were there, so she should be home. Maybe she was ignoring me? No, Haruka wouldn't pass a chance to see me.

I reached down and grabbed the doorknob, then slowly turned it.

"It's unlocked," I muttered to myself.

I slowly opened the door, and poked my head through. I quickly glanced around, but I didn't see her. I walked in, and then silently closed the door behind me. I put down my purse on the metal chair by the door, and slipped of my shoes. I walked into the living room, and covered my mouth at the site. Her TV was on the floor, the screen shattered and shards of glass everywhere. The black coffee table in the middle of the room was turned upside down, and one of the legs looked as if it was broken off. There were empty and broken bottles of beer and Jack Daniels scattered throughout the room. It looked as if a party had just happened, but I knew Haruka better than that.

I proceeded to the kitchen, glancing down every now and then to make sure I didn't accidentally step on any glass. I reached the kitchen, to still find more empty bottles of beer, but that was all. I looked at the table, and there she was.

She was sitting down on the wooden chair, her head was down and her right arm over it. He left arm was flat on the table with a half empty alcohol bottle tightly grasped. I couldn't tell whether she was passed out, resting or just thinking.

I stood where I was. I didn't want to get too close, just in case I surprised her.

"Haruka?"

There was no response.

"Haruka?" I said louder.

I heard her groan, and slowly lift up her head. She rubbed her eyes with her right hand, but didn't let go of that bottle.

"Haruka…"

She finally turned, squinting at me. Her eyes were red, and she had this stupid grin on her face. I had seen Haruka drunk before, but never this badly. I actually felt sorry for her.

"Oh…uh…Mi…uh…"

"Michiru," I finished for her.

She slowly got up, staggering a bit all the while. She couldn't keep her balance, and eventually fell back down on the chair. To see her in this state, and this badly drunk, worried me.

I walked towards her and grabbed the bottle out of her hand; she didn't resist. I turned the bottle over and read the label: _Everclear._ I quickly searched her kitchen, just to make sure that this was the only bottle that she had. When I didn't find another one, I went to the sink and emptied the bottle, then threw it away. I finally understood why she looked so disoriented. _Everclear_ was the one drink that she couldn't hold to save her life.

I went back to the table and took a seat next to her. She held her head in her hands, and I thought for a moment that she had passed out.

"What're you doing here?" Her words were slurred.

The fact that she was able to make any sense of the situation amazed me. The fact that she wasn't already passed out on the floor was a miracle in and of itself.

"I wanted to congratulate you on winning the race and being able to go to Europe. I know how much this means to you."

She didn't say anything for a while, so I just sat there, waiting for something, anything. She suddenly put her head down, and grabbed my hand that rested on top of the table. She tightly held my hand, but I didn't mind. I had missed her touch, regardless of everything that had happened. After all, it had been two weeks since I had been able to see her, to feel her.

"Why…why didn't you go?"

"You didn't want me to, Haruka."

She squeezed my hand, and I saw her frown. It wasn't until the tears started gliding down her cheeks that she looked at me. She was crying. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen her do so.

"I wanted you there, Michi. I…needed you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Just so you could win?"

I was fully aware that I was the motivation for Haruka, and why she had won every race. This was the first one I missed, but I had a good reason. Actually, I myself didn't need a reason, she provided me with one.

Haruka tightly shut her eyes for a few seconds, and then slid to her knees on the floor. She walked on her knees until she was in front of me, and then wrapped her arms around my waist. I could smell the alcohol on her.

"You know me better than that," she explained.

"I don't know who you are anymore, Haruka," I responded, keeping my arms at my side. "Besides, you already won, so what do you need me for anyway? It looks like you have everything you could ever want right now."

I pushed Haruka off, and surprisingly, she didn't resist. I stood up, and backed away from her. She stayed on her knees with her head down, but she had stopped crying. It looked as if she didn't fully understand what was going on or even our conversation for that matter.

"I told you what I wanted to say, Haruka. I have to go now. I'm supposed to meet somebody."

She looked up at me. "Who?"

I stared into her eyes, and I could see all the regret and all the hurt. I knew she was sorry for everything, but I wanted to hear her say it. But if she said it now, I didn't know if I could believe it since she was drunk. I decided to at least tell her this one thing.

"Yoshiro Takane," I answered.

She quickly got up on her feet, trying desperately to keep her balance. She moved toward me, swaying a bit, but I could tell she was determined enough to reach me. She forcefully leaned on to the counter next to me for support. It looked as if my answer made her sober up, even if it was a little.

"Why are you meeting him? You hate him."

"That's none of your business, Haruka."

"It sure as hell is my business, Michiru. That guy is trouble."

I knew that if I argued with her, then things would only get out of hand, especially since she was drunk.

"You're drunk, Haruka. You just need to calm down and-"

"I'm fine! I've never felt better. Now, tell me why you're seeing Yoshiro," she demanded.

"No. I don't need to tell you anything, and especially when you're drunk."

I turned around before she could say anything else. I didn't want to argue. I always hated arguing with Haruka, regardless of the situation.

Before I could reach the door, I felt her hand tightly grab my arm and I was roughly turned around.

"Haruka, you're hurting me. Let me go!"

"I'm not going to let you see him."

When I saw that look in her eyes, I became afraid. I had never seen her so angry before. The fact that the anger was directed towards me only made me more afraid. I knew I had to take into consideration that she was drunk, but it had never gotten this bad before.

I tried to pull my arm free, and my movement caused her to stagger a bit, thus loosening her grip on my arm. I pulled again, and she let go then fell down on her knees. She immediately tried to regain her balance, and this time she seemed more determined to do so. I knew that if she stood up, then I wouldn't be able to leave. What happened next was all a blur really.

The next thing I knew, I was standing over a motionless Haruka, as the gash on her left temple was bleeding.

Fear made a person do crazy things.

* * *

**Huh…well, there's that chapter. I know it's kinda like whoa, but just bear with me here. And in case you can't already tell, my writing style is very dramatic and kind of sad, in a way. But, don't worry because the mood will be a lot lighter in the next chapter. I promise. I hope the chapter wasn't too complicated. I have a feeling that if I keep going with this story, that it'll be kind of long. Also, I'll most likely be updating this story everyday, if not, every other day. Well, review if you'd like. I'd like to know what everyone thinks…good or bad. Take care!**

**-Nightfall5029**


	4. Flashbacks

**This chapter will not have anything current. All of this has already happened, so it's entirely made up of flashbacks. It will help explain a lot of questions that I'm sure some of you might have, and I'm hoping it will help you realize how I write. It also lets me lighten the mood a little. I'm also hoping that I made the characters a lot more believable here, so let me know how that goes. Even though the chapter is flashbacks, I'm not going to put it in italics, and the point of views will change. I'll write at the top whose it is so nobody gets confused. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for the plot.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Flashbacks**

**Haruka**

**2 years earlier:**

I leaned against the counter of the bar, and took another gulp of my drink. It was still early in the night, and I actually felt like leaving the so-called "party of the century." I was bored out of my mind. I hadn't met anybody really interesting, and that kind of disappointed me. Of course, there were a lot of girls who came up to me, flirted, then proceeded to give me their number, but I didn't care because they were all the same. I wanted somebody different, someone who was smart, but witty, and could hold a conversation instead of stare and drool. I grinned to myself because I couldn't really blame them.

"I watched your race yesterday. You're pretty good, Ms. Tenoh."

I nearly spit out my drink at the words directed to me. I turned to my left to find a woman with long, aqua hair and sensitive eyes. She was beautiful. But, how did she know I was a woman? I decided to ignore her remark and play it cool.

"Doesn't seem like you watched closely enough. Maybe you need glasses or something."

She smirked then took a drink from her glass. That look…I knew I couldn't fool her. I ran a hand through my hair and smiled.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody."

I could hear the sincerity in her voice, and I knew I could trust her.

"I have my morals and courtesy, so you can trust me."

I nodded my head. "Well, I'm guessing it doesn't include common courtesy since you haven't introduced yourself, huh?"

She frowned, and then set her drink down on the bar. She looked up at me and held out her hand.

"I'm Michiru Kaioh. It's nice to meet you.

I shook her hand and smiled. I saw her slightly blush, and that only made me smile more. She was cute.

"It's nice to meet you, too," I replied. I didn't know what else to say to her. It was like I was actually nervous. I, Haruka Tenoh, was nervous with a girl. I guessed there was a first for everything.

"Tongue tied, are we?" she said.

I shrugged my shoulders. "No, just waiting for you to give me your number, is all."

She smiled. I loved that smile of hers.

"Well, somebody is overly confident."

"I did win my first race yesterday, after all."

"That's true, but you have yet to win me over." She glanced down at her watch, then back at me. "And you only have one more hour."

I raised an eyebrow. "Before what?"

"Before my bedtime, of course."

I laughed at her answer. She was funny, and I liked that about her. She was willing to relax and reply to my sarcastic remarks with her own. She sure was one of a kind, and I knew I couldn't let her get away.

I held out my hand. "Do you mind if I see your watch real quick?"

She stared at me confused, but then took off her watch and placed it in my hand. Just that simple touch went through my whole body, and I wanted to pull her closer to me. I quickly ignored the feeling, and then looked down at the watch in my hands. I pulled out the small knob, and then started turning it. When I was done, I handed it back to her.

She looked down at it, then back up at me. "What did you do?"

I smiled at her. "I just gave us another two hours," I replied, then ordered another drink.

We went to the back of the party, away from everybody else, and especially away from the media. We talked to each other for the full two hours, and she was simply amazing. She was beautiful, intelligent, funny and extremely witty. She was more than I could ask for in a woman, but I still had yet to get her number. I was in no hurry, but I honestly didn't want the night to end, knowing that I wouldn't be able to contact her after that.

"Well, I think it's time for me to be heading home, Haruka."

I sadly smiled at her and scratched the back of my head. Again, for the second time, I didn't know what to say to her.

"Don't tell me you're waiting for me to give you my number again?" she asked. I guess she noticed that I was nervous.

"We still have one minute left," I replied.

She glanced down at her watch and smiled. If only I could see that smile for the rest of my life, then I would be happy without a doubt. She pulled out a pen from her small purse, and then grabbed a napkin that was sitting on the table. She scribbled on it before sliding it over to my side of the table. I grabbed it, but kept my eyes on her. She stood up, as did I.

She brushed something off the sleeve of my suit jacket, but I knew there was nothing there. I grinned, but didn't say anything to her.

She looked up at me smiling. "Next time, don't wait until the last minute to ask me something."

I grinned down at her. "Two minutes, then," I replied.

"That's more like it. I hope to hear from you, Haruka. Have a good night."

I nodded my head. "You, too, Michiru."

I watched her walk away, remembering and being mesmerized by the way she walked, and by the way she looked. I remembered the napkin in my hand, and brought it up so I could read it. I read the small note she had written under the number:

'Don't think I don't know you're watching me walk away.'

I laughed, and then looked up. At that moment, she turned to face me and winked before finally walking out the door.

She was good.

* * *

**Michiru**

**6 months later:**

"Are you going to come, Haruka?"

I heard her sigh, and knew she was going to give me an excuse.

"I have a practice to go to that day. I'm not sure if I can."

Her words hurt me, and I just wanted to yell at her. I had told her about this audition a month in advance, and she told me she would go. She even promised me that she would, and I believed her. Haruka wasn't the type to break her promises, and I didn't want her to start doing that now of all times.

"Haruka…"

"I know, Michiru. I know I promised you, but I have to be at this practice. If I don't go, I'll be disqualified from being in the race the next day."

"You…you promised, though."

She muttered something under her breath that I couldn't hear.

"You know how important this audition is for me, Haruka. The least you can do is keep true to your word and show up."

She groaned, and I knew she was getting frustrated. I could picture her running a hand through her hair. She didn't say anything, which told me the conversation was over. I wasn't going to be able to convince her, regardless of what I said or the begging that I could do. I didn't want to make her feel guilty; I knew she already did.

I quietly said goodbye before hanging up the phone. I didn't know what to do. I had an important audition in two days, one that would decide my career as a violinist, and the one person I truly wanted to be there wasn't going to go.

I guess she was guiltier than I thought, since she basically ignored me until the day of my concert. I didn't call her up to ask her again if she was going to be there. I didn't want to hear any excuses at the moment.

I got into the taxi, and told the driver my destination. I told him to hurry because I didn't want to be late. I had left later than expected, but I knew I could make it in time.

We arrived at the auditorium that I was to perform at, and I paid the driver what I owed. I got out of the car, and he drove away. It was at that moment that I realized something-I had forgotten my violin.

How could I have been so foolish to do something like that? I became even more nervous, because there was no way I could reschedule this audition. My hands and legs were shaking as I walked into the building. I glanced around until I saw the sign that directed people who were auditioning, to the right room.

When I entered the room, I took a seat in the back. I needed to try to calm myself down, even if it was only a little.

I looked up when the music stopped. The person who was playing the piano was finished. When the stage was clear, I noticed the judges whispering to each other, flipping through papers and scribbling notes. One of the judges rose from his chair, and stood next to a microphone. He read off from the paper in his hands.

"Will a Ms. Michiru Kaioh please proceed to the stage to perform? Again, that's a Ms. Michiru Kaioh. Thank you," he said, before sitting back down.

I froze, and my heartbeat sped up. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't tell the judges that I had forgotten my violin; they would probably just laugh at me and blow me off. Then again, if I didn't say something, or show my face, it would make me look bad.

"You're such a ditz sometimes," I heard a voice say.

I turned to the left to find Haruka standing there, looking down at me with a grin. I stood up and went up to her.

"What're you doing here?"

She smiled and held up her left arm. There, grasped in her hand, was my violin case. I stared at her, shocked about it all.

She handed it to me, and I took it, still staring at her. She truly did watch out for me.

"Now, go show them what you're made of," she said, before walking further down the aisle to take a seat.

"Wait."

She stopped and turned to look at me.

"What about your practice race?"

She smirked and ran a hand through her hair.

"What practice?" she responded. "This is way more important," she finished, then sat down.

I didn't know what to think about it all. Haruka had showed up to my audition, and basically saved my life. I smiled, and then proceeded down the aisle and on to the stage.

The entire time that I played my piece, all I could think about was what Haruka and that smile of hers. I glanced every now and then into the audience, and there she was, smiling up at me and giving me a thumbs up. She continuously surprised me.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I finished my piece. I bowed, and then proceeded to head off the stage.

"Um…Ms. Kaioh, a moment, if you will?"

I stopped and faced the judges. I glanced at Haruka, and could see the confusion that mirrored my own features.

The other judge spoke up. "You've made it," she said, before smiling.

Another spoke up. "Congratulation, Ms. Kaioh."

The three judges clapped, and I couldn't believe what had happened. I bowed again, and said thank you too many times before finally walking off the stage.

Haruka was there waiting for me, and gave me a hug of congratulations.

"I knew you'd make it, Michi. You're just too amazing," she said with a smile.

I smiled back at her. She cared about me, more than anybody else ever had before and there was nothing wrong with that.

I knew I felt the same way about her.

I also knew right then, right when I looked into her eyes and at the smile of hers, I was falling in love with her.

I was falling so very hard.

* * *

**Haruka**

**6 months later**

"You've been lucky so far," I heard a voice say.

Those four men who had walked in earlier in their black suits and sunglasses were still in the locker room, talking to somebody. I decided not to go inside because those men just gave me a bad feeling. I knew something was wrong, and I wanted to find out what.

I hid behind the door and listened, not really knowing who was talking, but that didn't matter. To me, hearing was always better than seeing. I could figure out everything else later.

"You do know that you're running out of time," another said.

"Either way," a third one began, "we were sent here to show you some hospitality. The boss wants his money in three days. No extensions and definitely no excuses."

"I will have your money. You can count on that."

I wasn't shocked by the answer, but by the voice. I knew that something was strange about him ever since he started racing. He was always quiet, secluded and rude to those he had no business with. I kept my distance from him, and now I'm glad I did.

"I'm sure we can, because you know better than to mess with Yakuza."

I never thought that he was involved with the Yakuza, but it didn't surprise me. The way he presented himself, and how he talked, it was so obvious to me now.

I heard a snap of fingers, and then loud bangs, grunts and slapping noises. They were beating him up, and I was glad that I didn't have to witness it.

Once the noises stop, the voice from before spoke again.

"We've already paid off the officials and a lot of the racers, so there should be no reason for you to lose. Although…"

There was a pause, and then the sound of a gun being loaded.

"…there still is that Tenoh racer."

I almost passed out from what the man was implying. He probably knew that I wouldn't accept a bribe, but only become suspicious, so he wanted to get rid of me. I ran a hand through my hair, and got lower to the ground.

"No, I can handle him."

There was a small, almost insane laugh. "You'd better."

I heard the men walking off, and immediately ducked behind some lockers. Once they had left, I pretended like I had just walked in and headed to my locker, past the man on the floor.

"Tenoh, did you just finish practice?" he asked, getting up and grabbing a towel to wipe the blood off his face. I pretended like I didn't notice, and proceeded to pack my duffel bag.

"Yeah, I didn't want to be here that long. I have somewhere I need to be."

"Yeah, me too. I guess I'll see you at the race then."

I nodded my head, but didn't turn to face him. I didn't want to have to ask questions and only be answered with lies when I already knew the truth.

When the race finally came, it would be the first where I crashed. I wasn't surprised, because I knew the reason.

Yoshiro would win that race.

* * *

**Haruka**

**6 months later:**

I walked into the locker room, and proceeded to change into my casual clothes. Practice had been brutal, like always. My manager was harder on me than usual, and for some reason, I wasn't like myself. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I hoped I would eventually be back to normal.

"Hey, Tenoh, what was up with you today?"

I shrugged my shoulders, and continued packing my stuff. I didn't want to answer him, nor look at his face.

"Well, I guess it's good for us, huh?" he said, before laughing.

I scoffed at his words, knowing what he really meant. If I didn't win, then he would, and be able to pay off whatever debts he owed the Yakuza. Ever since the accident, he had yet to do that, and I could feel the tension radiating off of him when we spoke. He was getting nervous, even desperate, but I didn't care. His business was no concern of mine.

Yoshiro leaned against the locker next to mine, his arms crossed over his chest, and a devilish smile on his face. I just wanted to punch him.

"I know, Tenoh."

I finally looked at him and frowned. I honestly didn't know what he was talking about.

He laughed at my expression, and then became serious again.

"I know that you heard everything in that room six months ago. You know about everything. But, what I find surprising is that you haven't said anything yet."

He was right. I did know everything, but I didn't have any proof. Nobody would believe me without some sort of proof. I had tried countless times in the past six months to obtain anything, but I was still lacking that.

"Anyway," he began, and sat on the bench behind me, "It's going to stay that way."

I slammed my locker then turned to face him. He sat there, a grin on his face and looking like he had it all figured out. I didn't know what he was up to, but I sure as hell didn't want to find out.

So, I punched him square in the jaw. He fell back, and scrambled to get up quickly. The feeling I got when my fist connected to his face, well, it was better than I hoped it would be. He stood in front of me, trying to intimidate me, but I was taller. I wasn't afraid of him, even though he probably could hurt me in another way. I only hoped that he was too foolish to realize it.

He smiled while rubbing his jaw.

"I guess I won't hurt Michiru for that one."

I clenched both of my fists. I had spoken too soon.

"I swear, if you do anything to her…"

He raised an eyebrow. "You'll do what? Kill me?" He laughed. "I assure you, you don't want to make threats to someone like me."

The anger grew stronger with each second, and I wanted to knock this guy out so badly. I knew better than that, though. He was a man of his word, I learned that already, and I didn't want to put Michiru in any harm. I sighed, and relaxed my hands. I had no choice but to listen to him.

"Well, I'm glad you came to your senses," he said, slapping my arm. I just stared at him angrily. It was all I could do. "Now then, there are some things I'm going to need you to do from now on, Tenoh."

I didn't say anything. He paced back and forth and talked to me with his arms crossed over his chest.

"First of all, you're not going to tell anybody about me and what I've been doing. Secondly, you're going to put racing before Michiru, each and every time. Thirdly, whatever I tell Michiru will be the truth, and you're not going to say otherwise."

He stopped, and tapped his finger on his chin. "I don't think I forgot anything," he said to himself. He shrugged his shoulders, and then turned to face me.

He still had that smug look on his face, and as much as I wanted to get rid of it, I kept calm. I just kept thinking of Michiru's safety.

"Is everything clear?" he asked.

I simply nodded my head.

"And, Tenoh, if anything goes wrong…," he trailed off. He smirked before turning around to leave.

I knew what he meant. I knew exactly what would happen, and I couldn't let it.

I was going to hurt Michiru more than I ever dreamed of. I was going to purposely hurt her, and she was going to blame me. She was going to get angry with me, and there would be nothing I could say. I wouldn't be able to explain myself in any way.

Why did it have to turn out this way?

I slammed the locker and leaned my forehead against the cold metal.

"I'm sorry, Michi…"

I was sorry for everything I was about to do to her.

* * *

**Yoshiro**

**Present:**

I decided to follow her. She was being suspicious in going where she was when she had no right. I had told her that Tenoh won the race, because I knew she hadn't watched it or listened to it on the radio. Yet, for some reason, she was heading to Tenoh's house, and I needed to know why.

Had she found out about what I was making Tenoh do? No, Tenoh was smarter than that. I would have probably found out for myself if that happened. If Michiru did know, then she would have definitely brushed me off at the café. Then again, she could have been playing me the whole time. Maybe she knew that Tenoh had lost, and I was lying about everything, so she wanted to find out why.

I shook my head again. It still didn't make sense. I was careful in everything I said and did, and I made sure that nobody slipped about anything. Still, I needed to know why she was seeing Tenoh. I had to find out what she was up to.

I also knew that Tenoh was probably drunk since he lost the race. If he was, then I couldn't risk him saying anything in that state. Michiru just might believe him regardless.

I hid behind the bushes when Michiru looked back at the driveway. When she slowly walked in, I waited a few seconds, and then carefully walked to the door. I leaned my ear against it, but couldn't really understand what was being said on the other side.

"Damn…"

I sighed, and then crouched down. I had to think of something, and quick. I needed to find out what they were talking about.

That was when I heard yelling. I immediately stood up straight, and opened the door. They didn't notice me go inside.

I saw Tenoh fall to his knees, and then hurriedly try to get back up again. He was going to grab Michiru once more, and looked more determined than I'd ever seen him. I got a gut wrenching feeling, and I knew what he wanted to do. I knew what he wanted to say.

Before he could stand up, I grabbed a lamp that stood on a nearby table, and slightly pushed Michiru aside. I turned the lamp in my hands, and slammed the bottom of it into the side of Tenoh's head.

He fell back down, unconscious, and laid there while the blood flowed.

I glanced at Michiru, and saw the horror in her eyes, before looking back down at Tenoh.

Fear made a person do crazy things.

* * *

**Well, I hope I was able to write the characters' personalities much better. Let me know. And for those of you who thought Michiru had hurt Haruka, I would never do that. That would just be weird. I'm sure this chapter answers a lot of things, and maybe the story will make a lot more sense now. Anyway, tell me what you think! Hopefully I didn't disappoint anyone with this chapter. Take care!**

**-Nightfall5029**


	5. Disbelief

**So, I know it's been a really long time since I've updated this story and I apologize. School has just been really busy for me lately, and I haven't had too much time to write. But, I finally finished this chapter, and I already have half of the next one so it shouldn't be long before I post that one. This chapter isn't as great as I would like it to be, because for some reason when I don't write for a while I kind of lose it, but I tried. I hope everyone enjoys it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't anything, except the plot.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Disbelief**

**Michiru**

I shifted in my seat, trying to become more comfortable so my legs wouldn't fall asleep. I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees, and supported my chin against the palm of my hand. I still wasn't as comfortable, but maybe that was the point. The last thing I wanted to do was fall asleep, as I dreaded the idea that she would wake up and I wouldn't be able to greet her with a smile.

Haruka was still unconscious. She was still unresponsive to the lingering touch of my fingers, and the grip that my hand seemed not to release on her own. I honestly thought that it wouldn't be this serious. I thought her stubbornness would overpower everything and she would come back to me, with that same grin on her face that I wished to see as the minutes ticked away. But as each hour, each uneventful day passed, I found myself waking up to the same motionless face.

I felt like my heart had broken in so many places. After the third day, I stopped counting the hours that went by, and really only paid attention to the absence of light to know that it was getting late. The doctor tried to persuade me countless times to go home and rest, but I always ardently denied his suggestions. His persistence eventually began to annoy me, but the irritated look on my face was finally able to stop his words from ever reaching me again. Even my manager was furious at my behavior, but I knew it wasn't from good intention. She always seemed to mention all the practices I was missing out on, and an important concert that I refused to attend. It didn't matter to me.

I did in fact get some sleep, as little as it might have been, but it was all I needed to function. I ate a small portion of food that the doctor ordered the nurses to supply me with, because I wasn't going to leave Haruka's side for a moment. I felt like I was all she had, and I wanted to be strong. Though, as much as I wanted to, it was like my strength was slowly leaving me. Each time I looked at her face, I became weaker, because I didn't know what else to do. I didn't know how to help her, and I hated that. She was always there for me in the past, always ready to take care of me and lend her shoulder. Now, here I was, waiting. I was just waiting for her to survive through on her own, all by herself. All I could do was talk to her, tell her how much I missed her, and hope. Hoping was the only thing I really had to offer her at the moment.

I glanced up at the calendar, then looked down at my hands and counted the days that were already gone on my fingers. A week had passed since the incident at her apartment, but my mind seemed to still replay the scene in my head. Anytime that I was vulnerable, when my heart caught a glimpse of her face, I almost felt as if I would collapse from the sudden barrage of a reality I no longer wanted to remember.

_I simply stared at her motionless body, the blood still trickling from the wound on the side of her temple. I was frozen into place, caused by the reality of the situation. I didn't want to believe it. _

_I slowly turned my head to look at Yoshiro. He was simply standing there, looking down at the same body I was before. He was tightly gripping the lamp in his hand, a look of disbelief on his face, but accomplishment in his eyes. What was his reason for doing such a thing? _

_He quickly glanced at me, then back at the body. _

"_I had to. It was the only way," he whispered, finally letting the lamp drop to the ground._

_I didn't answer him, but instead quickly ran to get my cell phone. I called the ambulance and told them the information they needed to hear. After I hung up, I rushed back to the living room. I grabbed a shirt that was on the counter, and then knelt down next to Haruka's head. I applied pressure with the shirt against the wound, and silently prayed that she was going to be all right. _

_It didn't take long for the blood to seep through the shirt, and I became frantic. I turned my head to look at Yoshiro. _

"_What did you think you were doing? You had no right to hurt Haruka like this!" I yelled._

"_He was going to hurt you," he responded, pointing at her body. "Did you expect me not to do anything?" _

_I didn't answer him, but turned all of my attention back to Haruka. I kept repeating to myself that she was going to be all right, that there wouldn't be any permanent damage. I didn't know what I would do if I lost her._

_I would probably hate myself if anything ever happened to her. She didn't deserve this; I didn't want her to leave me. There was still so many words I had to confess, so many questions that needed to be answered. But, here I was, holding her close to me trying to prevent the flow of blood. I looked down at her, studying the calmness that her face seemed to portray. I carefully moved a strand of hair so I could see her better, and those feelings came rushing back. They were the same ones that I tried so hard to push back and away from my heart, but when I stared down at her, my hold tightened as I pulled her closer. My heart began talking to my mind, trying to make me realize that the feelings never left, and at that point, I welcomed them. I still loved Haruka. I wanted to take care of her. I wanted to be happy with her._

_The sound of sirens breached my hearing and shook me out of my thoughts. After the paramedics put Haruka on the stretcher and told me which hospital they were going to, I grabbed my keys deciding to follow them. _

_As I was leaving, Yoshiro was still standing there, staring down at the blood stain on the carpet. I went up to him, but didn't say anything. The sound of my hand against his cheek echoed through the room, and I loved it._

I hadn't seen Yoshiro since then. I was angry because he not visiting forced me to assume that he didn't care, but I was relieved since I knew that I would only become angry with him for what happened. Still, I wanted some answers from him. I didn't know why he was at the apartment in the first place, and why he had to hurt Haruka. Nothing was making sense to me anymore. I put my head in my hands, frustrated at everything that was happening.

The tears came slowly then, and I let them. I wasn't going to try to stop them; it would have been a futile attempt. I glanced back up at Haruka, not surprised by the lack of change. I so desperately wanted her to wake up. I wanted to confess to her how I felt, because I didn't want to miss a chance in such an unpredictable world.

I still loved her. I always had. Yoshiro never meant anything to me, regardless of what anybody thought. I simply used him in order to try to forget about my feelings for Haruka, but I discovered that it was impossible. I always found myself thinking about the blonde, and that smile of hers. Even if she could never return the feelings I so dearly held to my heart, I wanted her to be aware of mine.

I wanted her to hear me say those words.

* * *

**Yoshiro**

I slowly walked down the hallway, quickly glancing at the numbers on the doors. Once I reached the correct room, I simply stood in front of the door. I wasn't sure whether to go in or not, because there was the chance that Michiru might be in there, and I didn't want to have the confrontation that I surely knew she wanted to have. I didn't want to have to lie to her, and make up an explanation that would never be true.

I was certain she was angry with me for hurting Haruka the way I did. I was certain of that, but I had my reasons. I had a motive that she would never be able to hear nor understand. What happened was necessary in order to keep this charade of mine up. I couldn't risk the chance of Haruka confessing everything to her. It would ruin everything that I had worked tirelessly for. It would ruin the chance of me ever being with Michiru. I wasn't going to let that happen.

I tightened the black gloves on my hands, pulling them down and moving my fingers to get a better fit. I didn't bother knocking on the wooden door as I slowly turned the handle and opened the door. I wasn't surprised to see Michiru sitting in a chair next to Haruka's bed. She gave no indication of hearing me enter the room, as she kept her head in her hands. I closed the door behind me, before walking towards her. I stopped a few feet away from her. I didn't want to surprise her, nor give her the ability to attack me.

I stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets as I cleared my throat, but she still didn't look up to me. I wondered if she thought I was a nurse or a doctor.

I stared down at her, noticing that state she was in. Her hair was down, messy and tangled. Her clothes were wrinkled, and her skin seemed pale. The way she sat indicated that she probably hadn't slept in a while. I finally heard her unstable breathing, as her shoulders slightly shook. For some reason, all of this didn't bother me. Sure, Michiru was most likely in pain and deeply hurt, but I didn't care. I did what I had to, and I wasn't going to let this scene in front of me prevent me from doing what I wanted to finish.

Michiru was crying over somebody that I despised, because I noticed that Tenoh was able to elicit emotions from her that I hadn't been able to. He was able to make her smile in a way that I'd never seen anybody else do in the time that I had known her, and that irked me. It bothered me that she wouldn't let anybody else in to her life, because I wanted to be part of it. I wanted to make her smile the way Tenoh did, even if it was for different reasons. I knew though that the only way I could do that was to completely get rid of a person who was standing in my way.

I rubbed my eyes with my fingers, and then crossed my arms. I needed to get this over with. I needed to get her out of this room.

"Michiru…," I softly began.

I quickly noticed her body go stiff. The sounds of her crying ceased, as she quickly wiped her eyes. She put down her hands to rest on her lap, but didn't turn to face me.

"What're you doing here?"

There was coldness in her voice that I never knew she could portray. It frightened me to a small extent, but I wasn't going to leave. Not until I accomplished what I came here to do. That task, for sure, was going to be done.

I scratched the back of my neck, before putting my hand back into my pocket.

"I came here to see Tenoh," I answered quite calmly.

She scoffed at my words. "I highly doubt that you honestly care about his well-being. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be here to begin with."

"If it wasn't for me, it might be you in that bed," I retorted.

She quickly stood up from her chair and closed the distance between us within a few seconds. The anger in her eyes somewhat pleased me, because she looked sexy when she was upset about something.

"Do you understand what you did? It's been a week, a week, Yoshiro! Haruka has been the same this whole time, and it's your entire fault."

Her anger didn't phase me. It didn't bother me at all. If she wanted to play this game then I was going to play because I knew that I was better at it than her.

"It's my fault? Yeah, sure, it's my fault for making sure that you didn't get hurt all because I care about you."

"You know for a fact that Haruka would have never done anything to hurt me. You know that!"

The way she was speaking made it seem like she was trying to convince herself. That was exactly what I wanted. With doubt, came confusion. With confusion, came the lack of confidence. With that, then I could use her vulnerability to my advantage. She was eventually going to be all mine. All I needed to do was make her believe the lies that could never be proven wrong.

"He was drunk, and when he's like that he isn't himself. Now, _you_ know that. You have no right to be angry with me, Michiru. All I did was help you."

She shook her head then crossed her arms. "Help me? How is putting Haruka in a hospital bed helping me?"

"So, did you just want me to stand there and have him hurt you? Did you want me to risk the chance of you being injured in some way? I wasn't going to do that."

She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it. She simply stared at me incredulously, as if trying to read my face. "What were you doing at Haruka's anyway?"

I honestly didn't expect that question from her. I figured that the situation would have caused her mind to be fragile, to forget any sort of logic that she could use against me. I for sure thought that she wasn't going to realize my mistake, but here I was, standing in front of her without an answer. Staring at me suspiciously, she walked closer. I unconsciously took a step back and pulled my hands out of my pockets. I didn't want to hurt her, but I sure was going to defend myself if it came to that.

"We're you following me?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to appear confident. I didn't want her to notice the confusion from my body language.

"I have no reason for that," I replied confidently. I was able to hide the nervousness in my voice.

"Then what were you doing at Haruka's apartment?"

I had thought of an answer for her, but it was way too soon for that. I needed more time, I needed to set up an opportunity to really use that, but in the current situation, I really didn't have that kind of luxury. I needed to use it now, as it was the only defense I had at the moment.

I sighed and looked away from her. I honestly didn't want to confess these things right now, but it seemed like I didn't have a choice anymore.

I felt her hand tightly grab my chin before she forcefully turned my head to face her. The harshness in her action surprised me, because I never knew her to be so crass. I took another step back to get a distance between our bodies, as small as it might have been. She invaded my personal space once again. I was going to take another step back, but she grabbed my shirt and held me in place.

This wasn't like her at all, but maybe that was a good thing. The reality of everything was hurting her, that was evident, but it was also making her even more vulnerable and foolish. This was what I wanted.

"You're going to answer my question right now, Yoshiro," she said, her anger more clear than ever.

I stared at Michiru for a while, trying to read her face. I could see the hatred for me in her eyes, but there was something else. There was some sort of sadness, almost an insecurity that she didn't want to reveal to me. I finally realized that she was faking her confidence, maybe even her anger for all I knew.

I glanced down at the hand that held the front of my shirt, only to notice her grip tighten. I wasn't afraid, but instead angry. I looked back at her with the same fierceness that she was giving me.

"I was going to confront Tenoh."

Her grip loosened on my shirt, but she still held on. She didn't want me to escape from her questions, although I really didn't have any intention of doing that.

"Confront him about what?"

"About why he was lying…"

Michiru looked down to the floor, as if thinking about my answer. She finally let go of my shirt completely, but still didn't face me. I quickly took a step back to distance ourselves. I could tell that she was replaying my words in her head, as if doubting what I said, but not completely. I slightly grinned, realizing that I should continue after all. I needed to control her emotions. I needed to make her mine.

"Haruka would never lie…," she said to herself.

I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed.

"I thought the same thing, but it's true," I answered. I wanted her to hear the disbelief in my voice. If I needed to lie to her to get what I wanted, I didn't have a problem with that.

Michiru slowly shook her head.

"Haruka wouldn't lie to me…," she repeated, then turned to look at Haruka. She turned back to finally look at me. "Right?"

I so badly just wanted to smile at that moment. With doubt, came confusion.

"Tenoh's lied to a lot of people before, Michiru. I know he cares about you, but I thought he cared about everyone else, too. That doesn't seem to be the case."

I took a step closer and touched her arm. She flinched, but didn't pull away. I sighed, and then scratched my head.

"I know this sounds hard to believe, but you have no reason not to trust me."

She didn't face me. "Tell me why I should even believe you in the first place?" She looked up at me. "You did put Haruka in the hospital, something that was completely preventable. How do I know you're not making this entire thing up?" She stared at me incredulously.

I let out a small laugh. "Why would I lie about something like this? I wouldn't even try to lie to you, Michiru because that's just not how I am. I can prove to you that he's been lying." I took a step closer and stared directly into her eyes. "I can prove it," I assured softly, confidently.

Michiru lightly pushed me away then stared down at the ground, slowly shaking her head and silently moving her lips. She was most likely trying to convince herself that everything I said was a lie, but I knew she wouldn't be able to do that. I guessed I was a better liar than I thought. She was confused, and I loved it. With confusion, came a lack of confidence.

I turned around, thinking that it would be best to leave her alone to her thoughts and feelings. I didn't need to be there to confuse her even more. She would be able to do that on her own.

"I…"

I stopped then turned to face her. She held her hands in front of her, looking at them as strands of hair covered her face. I simply stood there with a small grin on my face. I always thought Michiru was a strong person, but she was breaking. She was breaking right in front of me, and I knew why. I knew that if I let enough time pass, then her walls would slowly but surely crumble, and I could get to her. I could have a hold on her that she wouldn't be able to break free from.

"I…thought Haruka cared about me."

It almost sounded like a question, but I knew she was desperately trying to believe herself. She was trying to portray a confidence that she no longer had. The anger from before was gone, and when she finally looked up at me, I could see the sadness in her eyes. I noticed the tears starting to fall. With this lack of confidence, I was going to use her vulnerability against her and to my advantage.

Everything was working perfectly.

I slowly walked back to her, and took her in my arms. She tried to push me away, but I wouldn't let her. She shook her head against my shoulder.

"It all makes sense now," she whispered. "It all makes perfect sense to me. Why Haruka's been acting weird and cold to me, and why he's been different for the past few months. Haruka has been lying to me about everything, hasn't he?"

I nodded my head against her hair, enjoying the faint scent of whatever she was wearing. I wanted her so badly.

She slowly pushed me away, and I let her. She looked up at me.

"I care about you, Michiru," I began. "You know I wouldn't hurt you. I never have and I'm not going to."

She turned away from me, but hesitantly nodded her head. I didn't care that she probably didn't mean it, but it was a start.

She wiped at her eyes, sniffling and chuckled to herself.

"Look at me, I'm acting stupid." She brushed her clothes and tried to fix her hair. "I'll be back really quick. I want you to tell me everything when I get back, Yoshiro."

I said nothing, but nodded to her. She walked past me, but then stopped and lightly touched my arm.

"By the way," she began. I looked at her. "Why are you wearing gloves?"

I held my hands in front of me, flexing them as I tried to think of an excuse. I let out a small laugh.

"I…have a weird thing about hospitals with germs and all that, you know?"

She didn't say anything, but simply kept walking and out the door.

I waited a while before relaxing. I stuffed my hands in my jacket, and walked to stand next to Tenoh's bed. I stared down at him, smiling at everything I was seeing. I quickly glanced at the door, then back at the still body. I started laughing to myself, amused by the whole situation and how everything was working to my satisfaction. I didn't think it would go so well.

I took off the glove on my left hand, staring at his body the whole time. It couldn't have gotten any better than this. I reached into my jacket, pulling out a wrapped syringe and a small bottle of liquid. I unwrapped the syringe and put the wrapper into my pocket. I didn't want to leave any sort of evidence. I quickly glanced at the door once more, hoping Michiru wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, before turning my attention back to the task at hand. I took off the cap with my teeth, and then inserted the needle into the small opening of the bottle. With a grin on my face, I began to fill the syringe with the liquid.

Everything was working perfectly for me. I didn't have to explain my lies to Michiru, and her being in such a fragile and worried state made it easier for me to manipulate her emotions. With her leaving the room, it gave me the perfect opportunity to insert this drug into Tenoh's bloodstream. I let out a laugh as I couldn't even believe that she believed the lie about my gloves. Honestly, I just didn't want to get any fingerprints anywhere, and I wasn't going to.

When I was done, I took out the needle and put the small bottle back into my jacket. I checked the needle to make sure it was working before grabbing Tenoh's arm. I put pressure around the elbow, tapping the veins so I could see them better. When I clearly found a good one, I took a deep breath.

I moved the cap to one side of my mouth. "You're going to do this," I told myself, glancing at the door again. "This is all for Michiru, it's all for her. This is for her own good."

I took another deep breath, about to inject the drug into his bloodstream. That was when I felt a hand tightly grasp my wrist. Surprised, I spit out the cap from my mouth and looked up to find Tenoh staring up at me.

* * *

**Michiru**

I didn't believe anything he was telling me. I could easily tell that he was lying to me. The look in his eyes, as well as his body language told me everything. He didn't want to see me, but there was another reason, another motive for why he was at the hospital. I just didn't know what it was.

I sat down on a chair in the waiting room, and took a sip of the coffee that I had poured for myself. What was his reason for coming here? He, for a fact, didn't have an ounce of concern for Haruka, so there must be some sort of reason. There had to be some sort of self-gain for him, because I knew that he was smarter than to just show up after what he had done. He was following me when I went to Haruka's apartment a week back, but I didn't know the reason to that either. There was something going on that he wasn't going to tell me about. Something must have happened between Haruka and Yoshiro in order for him to want to get close to me.

I didn't even know why I let him try to get close to me in the first place. I knew that there was something off about his actions and his words, some sort of secret vendetta that he had this whole time, but I didn't want to believe it. Yoshiro portrayed himself as such an honest man, but I should have known better. He was never that type of person.

He was lying about everything, but I couldn't help but feel hesitant about thinking the same thing when it came to his confession. He explained to me that Haruka was lying, and I almost believed him. I knew Haruka was better than that though, because after everything that we have gone through together, there was no reason why she would treat me differently all of a sudden. Even so, a few months back, she had begun to be overly hesitant when it came to seeing me, as if she wanted to prevent a cycle of telling lies to me. When I was able to be with her, there was a distance between us, some sort of obstacle preventing her from being completely honest with me. It still surprised me that she would lie to me, and when I did notice it, I knew she was forcing herself to do so. For Haruka, it was out of character for her being that harsh towards me. That was what bothered me.

Something was wrong, although I never had the courage, no, the sense, to ever ask her what it was. Haruka was always a private person to begin with, and I knew when it wasn't my place to pry into her business, but this was different. This was more serious, and I could only imagine what it might be, or even the consequences that might follow if something went wrong.

Even though I didn't believe Yoshiro, I wanted to hear more of what he had to say. My curiosity was getting the better of any logic or other emotions that I possessed. I needed to find out what was really going on, because there clearly was something that I wasn't aware of. The way Haruka looked at me when I told her that I was going to see Yoshiro scared me, and I knew that there was a reason behind her actions at her apartment. She would never hurt me, regardless of what Yoshiro said to try to persuade me otherwise.

I needed to find out his true intent, so I could help Haruka. I wanted to be there for her, because she had always done the same for me. She gave me a reason to smile, and I loved her for that. I wanted to be her reason for smiling.

I sighed, before drinking the last of my coffee. I got up to throw the cup away, and then ran my hands through my hair as I slowly walked back to the room. I looked up when some nurses ran past me, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. My pace slowed down when I realized that the nurses and a doctor ran into Haruka's room. For some reason, I completely stopped, frozen into place in the hallway. Something was wrong. Something wasn't right and I could feel it, but my legs weren't responding to my mind. My heart was speaking to loud, it was beating too fast and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I wanted to walk into the room.

I clenched my fists and ran to the room. When I entered, the nurses and doctor surrounded Haruka's body, asking and answering questions. I stood there, not wanting to go in further and break into pieces when I saw her face. I noticed Yoshiro standing off to the side, a look of panic on his face as sweat ran down his temples to his neck. He didn't acknowledge my presence, but just stared at Haruka, shaking his head and muttering something to himself. I quickly rushed to him and tightly grabbed his forearm.

"Yoshiro, what happened?" I desperately asked. I could still hear the nurses fussing everywhere, but I didn't want to look.

Yoshiro wouldn't look at me. There was a fear in his eyes that I had never seen before by anyone, especially not him. But, what was he afraid of? I knew he didn't care about Haruka, so what seemed to cause him to shake so much?

"Tell me what happened," I demanded this time. I slapped him on the cheek, and he finally turned to me. His lips were dry, and he opened his mouth but no words were spoken. His brow furrowed, and he pulled his arm away from my grip. He wiped his forehead with the back of his uncovered hand, and then gripped his hair as if he was stressed about something. He was bothered by all of this, and to an extent that surprised me. He was afraid of something.

Yoshiro took a few steps away from me. "I have to leave," he said, before quickly walking out of the room.

I ignored it, as I looked back to the nurses and the doctor.

"Doctor…," one of the nurses exclaimed.

He nodded his head. "Get the defibrillator ready…"

I watched in horror at the scene before me. I didn't want to believe this was happening. I clenched my shirt over my chest, as my breathing became shallow. I felt like I was going to faint, but I couldn't. I had to be strong for her. She was going to be fine, she was going to wake up, and I was going to be right there when she did.

I winced when the doctor admitted a charge to Haruka's chest, causing her body to momentarily jump off the bed. The doctor muttered something to the nurse, before giving Haruka another charge. I turned around, not wanting to see what was happening, but being able to still hear it all didn't help me.

I fell to my knees and roughly covered my ears to block out the sounds of everything. I didn't want to believe that this was happening. I didn't want to believe that there could be a chance that Haruka might die. I still had to tell her how I felt. I shook my head, letting my hands drop to my lap as they formed into fists. It wasn't her time yet.

"Haruka…," I whispered.

My heart broke when I heard the constant beep of the flat line.

* * *

**There's that chapter. I'm sorry I waited so long to update, but again, school is just crazy this semester. The next chapter will be much better, and most likely longer. I'm hoping to post it sometime next week. I hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter. Take care!**

**-Nighfall5029**


	6. Nostalgia

**Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated. Boo to school and work. But, it's all good, I guess. Break is almost here, and I'll have much more time to write. Anyway, this chapter took me a while to write. I changed it so many times, but I'm happy with the result. I might be a little off with the characters, but I really do try. That's better than nothing. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for the plot.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Nostalgia**

**Michiru**

I stood still, looking around the room and taking in the emptiness that it elicited. It had been a long time since I'd been here, and I was starting to regret that unconscious decision; everything seemed so dull, so careless. The flipped down picture frames, the almost empty closet of clothes and the haphazardly made bed all seemed like they belonged to a person that didn't want to return. Almost as if she despised the life she lived, but simply lived it in order to fool people that she was happy.

At least, that was how I felt. This whole time, it appeared to me like she had been suffering so much, but I didn't know. I didn't know because she only showed it to herself, she let herself become like this in the comforts of her own home, where nobody would be able to judge her. It was a place where she could look into the mirror to see a person that she no longer wanted to be, but didn't have any other choice.

She kept this from me.

Or, maybe I was just too naïve, too foolish to ever realize that she could feel this way. But, that smile of hers, and that grin that I always loved to see told me otherwise. I thought that she was happy, that she was content with the life that she had made for herself.

She fooled me.

At some point in these past few months, she changed. She became a person that I never thought could exist inside of her, but I didn't think too much of it. I thought it would pass, that it wasn't real and she would revert back to her old self. She did. But I now realize that once she came home, then it didn't matter. She was slowly breaking, and I didn't do a damn thing to help her.

Why didn't I put the pieces together? I knew her. I knew her more than anybody else possibly could, and yet I wasn't able to realize what was happening to her.

Was I, in some way, the cause of all of this? She was acting different around me, which made me believe that it could be possible, but she was better than that. She would have told me. I frowned at the idea that it could still be true. I would never want to hurt her in any way, but seeing the state of her apartment brought a cruel realization to my eyes.

I sighed and shook those thoughts from my head. Something else was going on that I didn't know about, and that secret was changing her, keeping me from reaching out to help her. I loved her, but I didn't want to pry into her life, into a world that she sometimes seemed not to let me be a part of. That could be completely false, but that was how I felt sometimes. But, I knew her better than that. She treated me better than that and the proof was in the memories we made, and all those times she simply gave me utter happiness.

I walked slowly to the slightly open door of the closet and opened it completely. Some clothes were scattered on the floor, as others hung messily on the few hangers left on the bar. I pulled the black button down shirt off one of the hangers. I held it in my hands, simply deciding to stare at it. I sighed then closed my eyes, hugging the shirt and smelling her scent on it. This was her favorite shirt, and I absolutely loved any day that she wore it. I still remembered the first time she ever did, and the memory was even more vivid of all the times she wore it afterwards.

_I answered the phone and held it to my ear. "Hello?" _

_There was a pause. "I didn't think you would answer."_

_I smiled when I recognized that husky voice. _

"_I didn't think you would actually call," I retorted. _

_She laughed. "No faith in me, huh? Well, do I get a reward then?" _

_I softly laughed. "Don't hold your breath, Haruka." _

"_Only around you, Michiru," she responded. _

_I could clearly picture the grin I'm sure she was giving, and I so badly wished that I could see it for myself. I had only met this woman two days before, but there was something about her that amused me. I couldn't stop thinking about her or that smile of hers. When we met, I noticed a kindness in her eyes, a sort of sincerity that made me believe she was different than anybody I'd ever known before. I wanted to find that out for myself. _

"_You know, I think you do deserve a reward," I mentioned. _

"_It actually took you longer than I expected to say that," she jokingly answered. _

_I smiled and shook my head. The confidence and playfulness in her voice was just so adorable to me, even if it might have been annoying to others. I enjoyed it. _

"_How about dinner tonight? You can pick me up at seven. Does that sound good?" _

"_That sounds great."_

_I didn't understand why I wanted to see her so badly. Or even why I used what she said in order to get what I wanted. Did I not have the courage to simply confess that I wanted to see her? No, I didn't. _

"_Well, then let me give you directions." I proceeded to relay directions to her, and then stopped when she wasn't saying anything to me. "Is everything okay?" _

"_Uh…yeah…everything's fine." _

_I frowned at her response, but didn't think too much of it. After I finished the directions, we said goodbye then hung up. I laughed to myself, quickly remembering her witty remarks and sarcasm. It was a trait of hers that I simply enjoyed. She was the only person who could make me smile and blush at the same time. She only made me want to get to know her even more._

_I fought the urge to call her back, because it seemed like something was bothering her, but I was probably just worrying for no reason. I smiled at the thought of her calling me to confess that she was lost. I laughed at the possibility. _

_It was already ten minutes after seven, and Haruka didn't seem like the type of person to be late. My phone rang, and I already knew who it was. _

"_Hello?" _

_I heard a nervous laugh. "Huh…well, it seems that I'm lost," she confessed nonchalantly._

_I laughed at her words, and then proceeded to give her directions once again._

"_I find it surprising that someone like you could get lost so easily."_

"_Hmm…maybe you could give better directions?" she suggested, and I knew she was grinning. _

_I laughed once again, not knowing what to say. "I'll try to do that from now on."_

"_You know, even though I got lost, I got one good thing out of it." _

"_What would that be?" _

_There was a pause. "You have a beautiful laugh," she finished. _

_I smiled, blushing at what she said. There was no hesitation in her voice, and I could tell she was being genuine. The feeling that she gave me was amazing; it was something I wasn't expecting from a person I barely knew, but it was there. I could never admit that to her, or even the fact that I liked it. _

_I walked outside to the car. Haruka was leaning against the convertible, her arms crossed and she appeared extremely calm. I tried to seem calm myself, but my legs and hands were shaking, and I was beginning to feel as if I was going to faint. I didn't think I could be that nervous. _

_I mindlessly brushed my dress with my hands, and fixed my hair to distract myself. It all seemed like a futile effort when I saw her. _

_She was wearing a black button down shirt with black pants, and a white tie. She looked amazing, as I could faintly make out the muscles under that shirt, and I soon found myself wanting to rub my hands over her body. I shut my eyes for a moment, trying to stop the thoughts. I didn't know why I was thinking like this when I didn't even know her. But, those eyes of hers; it was almost as if I already knew what kind of person she was. _

_I took a deep breath before stopping in front of her. I smiled. _

"_You look very handsome," I commented. If only she knew the half of it. _

_She grinned at me, relaxing her arms and placing them to her side. I could see her eyes look me over, and I fidgeted onto my other leg and momentarily glanced away. _

"_Thank you," she began, and I turned my attention back to her. "If only you knew how beautiful you look," she finished. _

_I felt as if I was going to melt, or that the possibility of actually fainting was becoming even more of a reality. _

_I raised my eyebrows when I noticed something about her. She frowned, pushing herself off the car. "Is something wrong?" she asked, taking a step closer. _

_I simply laughed to myself, before grabbing her tie and correcting it. "Haven't learned how to do this yet?" _

_She smiled sheepishly, scratching her head. "Now I have you to teach me." _

_I shook my head, then finished the tie, and patted her shoulders. "All better now."_

_Haruka smiled then opened the door for me. I smiled and nodded my head before getting in. I let a breath go when she closed the door, and quickly rubbed my hands over my legs, trying to calm myself down. _

_She opened her door and sat down, starting the car and glancing at me momentarily. She smiled, and as I looked at her, I calmed down. I knew there was no reason to be nervous, and the feelings that I was getting…I realized that there was nothing wrong with them. _

_The restaurant was nice, simple yet elegant, a sort of place where it wasn't too loud or busy. It was perfect. While we ate our food, we talked of different things, or really, I told more about myself than she did. Haruka was a private person, but I knew it wasn't because she was rude, or didn't want to tell me anything; that was just how she was. She was the type of person who kept her life her own, and only told of things she felt important. She did answer me genuinely when I asked her questions, but I knew that I shouldn't be too serious about it all. I didn't want to pry into her life and ask her to tell me every little thing. She wasn't really asking anything of me, and I could at least do the same for her. _

_Haruka was a quiet and calm person. She wasn't trying to be somebody else but herself, and I respected that. She appeared strong, but I could see it in her eyes that she was caring, and I secretly wished I could see the extent of all the different aspects of her personality. I wanted to get to know her better. _

_For me to think like that was something new. Then again, Haruka was different. She was a person who could make me smile without any effort on her part, something nobody else has done. She did come off as flirtatious, but I didn't mind it at all. She was smart, extremely witty and I loved the sarcasm behind her words. She wasn't harsh however, only humorous, and I loved to see that smile of hers, however many few times that I did. _

_I also enjoyed her small habit of running her hand through her hair, and that sexy grin of hers. _

_She was polite, a true gentleman, so to speak. I couldn't help but be drawn in by her personality. I even found myself thinking that maybe there could be something more to this beginning friendship, but I didn't put too much hope into that thought. _

_We finished dinner, and I was disappointed at the thought of having to leave. We stood outside of the restaurant, the cool wind blowing through my hair and enticing a relaxed emotion from me. _

_Haruka looked down at me. "Do you want to go for a walk?" she suggested._

_I nodded my head, knowing that I wouldn't be able to speak coherently. Those eyes of hers…_

_We began walking, my hands held together in front of me as Haruka stuffed hers into her pockets. We didn't speak to each other, but it seemed that no words were needed. This quietness was calming, and there was no awkwardness accompanying it. I looked at her through my peripherals, curious as to what she was thinking, but I didn't want to ask. I enjoyed this silence too much. _

_I held in a breath, then slipped my arm through hers and leaned into her. She didn't pull away, nor did she say anything. She just looked down at me and grinned. _

_We continued walking, enjoying the cool night as well as the silence between us. I didn't think it was possible to be such at ease, with a person I hardly knew, while no words were spoken. I was comfortable being with her. _

_After the walk, she drove me back home. It was then that I noticed how much she truly enjoyed driving. She was skilled, seemingly perfect when she was behind the wheel, and I could see the joy that it put into her life. It seemed as if she didn't need to concentrate, but that her driving was the only time she had to really think. I didn't mind at all, because it gave me time to my own thoughts. I didn't have too many though, besides the continuous one of how amazing she looked in that shirt. When we arrived, she walked me to my door. _

"_I had a great time with you," I said, smiling at her. I noticed her staring at me, almost not paying attention to my words. I picked the perfect dress, I assumed. I coughed, and she quickly looked up at my face with a nervous expression. It was quickly gone, as she ran her hand through her hair. It was a habit I already loved. I could only imagine what it would feel like for me to do the same with my own fingers. _

_She didn't say anything, but simply grinned at me. She was indescribably sexy when she did that._

"_I knew you would," she said. _

_I smiled and raised an eyebrow. "A little arrogant, don't you think?" _

_She shook her head fairly quickly. "No, just confident. There's a difference." _

"_I guess so. Well, I hope you have a good night," I finished._

"_I don't get a hug?" she asked playfully. _

_I stared at her, a small smile gracing my lips. I was actually relieved that she mentioned it, because I didn't have to courage to hug her, or even ask for such a contact. I took a step closer and wrapped my arms around her waist. As I rested my head on her shoulder, I closed my eyes as her smell surrounded, as well as her arms. I almost felt like I belonged there, holding her tightly to me and just enjoying the moment. _

_When she let go, she smiled. "So, I guess I'll see you again tomorrow, huh?" _

_She was extremely confident. "As long as you don't get lost again," I mentioned. She shrugged her shoulders, but didn't say anything. _

_When I went to bed that night, I couldn't get her off my mind. Her smell, her smile, those eyes—they were all still fresh in my memory. If only she knew what she did to me. _

That night was amazing, and I realized then that there was a real possibility I would let her into my heart. I did, but there was always a reason why I felt I wouldn't be able to tell her my true feelings. There was always something holding me back from confessing these words to her, so I never did. Now, thinking about that night, and how incredible it was, I could only curse at myself for being so foolish over these past years. I should have said something much sooner.

I undid the buttons, put my arms through and wrapped the shirt around me. It smelled like her, and I wanted that scent to completely surround me. I closed my eyes and imagined her strong arms around me, holding me close and protecting me. I imagined that she was whispering the words I so longed to hear from her soft lips. Imagining was the only thing I had enough strength to do at the moment, because for that to be a reality was far from my reach.

I walked over to her dresser, hugging myself. I looked over the pictures she had, most of them turned down. I lifted each one up to find they were pictures of her in the winning circle of races she had won, as well as ones with her teammates and crew. Why those were the only ones face down was a mystery to me, and one that I couldn't even come up with an assumption. I glanced at the only one that was standing, noticing it was one of us. I carefully grabbed it, pulling it closer to get a better look. I softly smiled at the memory this picture forced upon me, as I ran my fingers over the glass.

_It was my first concert of the season. To state that I was nervous was an understatement. I had never before performed in front of such a large crowd, but I tried to remain calm because I didn't want to ruin such an opportunity like this. _

_There was a knock on the door. "Ten more minutes, Michiru." _

_I took a deep breath, the nervousness only growing stronger within me. I fixed my hair some more, as well as my dress before getting up off the chair. I glanced up at the clock, becoming more anxious as the seconds ticked away. This was an important day for me, and for me to even ruin it in the slightest sense wouldn't be good for my career, as well as my music ability. _

_It wasn't that I felt my life would be over if I didn't do well, but I didn't come this far not to do well. I wasn't going to give up on a chance like this and let it pass me, thinking that I could have done better. _

_There was another knock on the door, before my manager opened it and walked inside. He had a frustrated look on his face, and wouldn't look directly at me, if only for a few seconds. I could sense something was wrong. _

"_What's wrong?" I asked, not wanting to waste any time. _

_He sighed and scratched his head. He looked at me. "The pianist that's supposed to be accompanying you isn't coming."_

_I frowned. "What do you mean?" _

"_He called and said he can't make it. That's all there is to it, Michiru." He stared at me sternly, but I could tell he was angry, maybe even more than I was starting to become. _

_I took a step back and leaned against the vanity, trying to keep my balance. I didn't know if I could do this performance without a pianist. All of the pieces included a piano, and we both had solos. For me to perform completely by myself would be disappointing to the audience, as well as surprising. This wasn't supposed to be happening. _

_I glanced back up at my manager. He wasn't saying anything. He didn't know what to do either. He ran a hand through his hair. _

_At the moment, I thought of her. I thought of Haruka and how I just wanted to see her so she could take all of this stress away from me. I wanted her to hold me, and tell me that everything was going to be okay, because I would believe her without a second thought. _

"_I'll make an announcement to the audience that you'll be performing alone," he began, crossing his arms. "I know it won't look good, but there's nothing else that can be done." _

_It wouldn't look good for me, because people would definitely get the wrong idea. I was worried about what the sponsors and critics would think. Their opinion could ruin me, and I tried too hard for that to happen. They would think that me performing alone as selfish and arrogant, as if I could do whatever I wanted even though I had just started out in the industry. I could only hope that my audience understood my situation._

_My manager stared at me, and I could see the guilt in his eyes. He blamed himself for this, but I was too caught up in my own thoughts to offer any words of consolation. _

"_You should get your violin and go wait behind the curtain. It's time," he finished, before turning around to leave. _

_I stayed where I was for a while, trying to take in everything that was happening. I didn't feel like playing anymore, but I was too stubborn to let something like this get in the way of a performance I knew I could do great at. _

_I heard a knock on the door, but didn't say anything and kept my eyes to the ground. It slowly opened, and when I caught a glimpse of blonde through my peripherals, I looked up to find Haruka standing there. _

_She stared at me, with a sort of sadness and confusion written on her face. She shifted to the other foot as she seemed to mindlessly fix her tie, as if to waste time. _

_She cleared her throat. "Is everything okay?" _

"_I don't know if I can do this performance, Haruka."_

_She took a step closer, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "Are you nervous?"_

_I shook my head, pulling my eyes away from hers. I didn't want her to see the tears beginning to form. "The pianist isn't coming, so I have nobody to play with. I don't know if I can just do it by myself out of the blue." _

_Haruka frowned, and scratched the back of her head. She quickly closed the distance between us and pulled me to her. I could feel her breath on my neck, as she whispered, "It's going to work out. Don't worry." She let go of me then, looked at me with a grin, and walked out of the room._

_I stood there, surprised by the contact, but missing it more than anything. I wanted that warmth back. I wanted to feel her arms around me. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the emotions building up inside of me. It was hot all of a sudden. _

_I grabbed my violin, and walked out of the room. I didn't want to waste any time, because I knew that if I did, I would lose my resolute for doing this concert. _

_I stayed behind the curtain, wondering how I would be introduced. Naturally, the pianist was supposed to start playing, and then me walk on to the stage to join the piece being played. I sighed and shook my head. I just wanted to get this over with. _

_My eyes widened when I started to hear a piano playing the first piece. I quickly walked closer to the stage to see who it could be, and my heart stopped. _

"_Haruka…"_

_There she was, playing the piano with such ease and perfection. I didn't even know she could play, but there she was, running her fingers over the keys and emitting such an amazing sound. I smiled to myself. She always seemed to be taking care of me. She didn't lie when she told me everything was going to be all right. _

_I heard a cough behind me. I turned to find my manager standing there, telling me to get ready to walk on stage. I regained my composure and lifted up the violin to rest under my chin. I took a deep breath, and began playing while my feet glided me towards her. _

_She glanced up at me and grinned. I smiled back at her, nodding my head in thanks. I would need to talk to her about this after the performance. _

_As we played on through the night, I found myself getting lost in her movements, in the passion that I noticed in her eyes as she played. She was simply stunning, simply amazing, and I felt myself getting hot again. I stood right next to her during the last piece, our eyes meeting for a brief moment, and right then, I knew I was falling for her even more._

_We finished the song, and when she looked up at me and smiled, I could only be amazed by the rush of emotions I felt. It was simply wonderful._

_I found Haruka fairly quickly, as she was talking to a few reporters and critics. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets, and that smug look on her face wasn't surprising. I slightly smiled before stopping next to her. I answered a few questions as well, before excusing myself and pulling Haruka with me. I led her to my room, and closed the door. _

_She looked at me in mild confusion, an expression I found to be extremely cute. _

"_Where…how did…I don't know…," I began, not knowing what to say. _

_She grinned. "Was my performance that good?" She shrugged her shoulders. "That's not surprising."_

_I walked closer and playfully slapped her arm. "What were you doing on that stage?"_

"_Playing the piano, of course."_

_I let out an exasperated sigh. "I know that, but, I had no idea you could play the piano."_

_She laughed, and ran a hand through her hair. "You never asked," she replied casually. "You were amazing, by the way," she added, and I simply stared at her. _

_I slightly smiled, remembering the performance. "We did really well together, didn't we?" _

_Haruka opened her mouth for a moment then closed it and grinned. I could see the glint her eyes showed before it was completely gone. I wish I could have heard what was on her mind. _

"_Why did you do it, Haruka?" _

_She turned away, looking thoughtful for a moment before looking back at me. Her emerald eyes shone, and I noticed something I had never seen before. I didn't know what it meant, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from the smile she revealed to me. _

"_I promised you that I would always be here for you. I'm not one to break my promises, Michiru," she easily answered. "Besides, being the klutz that you are, you need me." She casually mentioned with a small laugh. The sound was pleasant to my ears, considering the few times I was able to hear it. I realized then what she said and hit her arm again. _

"_It's good to know you care about me, too," she exclaimed, rubbing her arm. _

_I simply laughed, before wrapping my arms around her waist. I felt her body go stiff, and hoped she wouldn't push me away. After some hesitation, she wrapped her arms around me, and I felt like I was home. _

"_At least your tie was done right, for once," I mentioned. I felt her laugh, and smiled._

_I knew then that I wanted to love her. _

I held the picture against my chest, making my way to her bed. I lied down, wrapping the dark green comforter around my body, and curled into a ball. Her scent was everywhere, all around me, surrounding me and offering a sort of comfort that I wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. I calmed down to a small extent, feeling nostalgic once again.

_I stood there with a sort of confusion clouding any of my other thoughts. I was simply alone and cold. The rain beat down on my body, as the darkness surrounded me, and I felt as if I was trapped. These people around me—I wanted them to go away forever. But they wouldn't, and it was something I didn't know if I could stand. _

_I was afraid, completely frightened and lost. I didn't know what to do, how to get away. Those eyes stared me down; their grins making me feel even more vulnerable. I backed up, trying to put as much distance between us, as I tried to think of a way to escape. But, they were too quick, too smart and my resolute was slowly diminishing as the fear ate away at me. I felt so weak. _

_Suddenly, one of them was pulled away, and he fell to the ground. Before I could do anything, I was pushed against a wall and slapped unconscious. _

_I slowly woke up, the sound of grunting and movement catching my attention. I turned on my side, the rain preventing me from making any quick movements. My cheek burned, and my back ached. The lightning struck, and I looked up to find her punching one of the men to the ground, as the thunder crackled. _

_I carefully stood up and leaned against the wall behind me for support. Once I was able to regain my composure and balance, I walked over to her. _

_Haruaka stood over the bodies, breathing heavily and clutching her side. She stared down at the unconscious men, her eyes angry, her body hunched over a little. I went to her, supporting her body as I placed her arm over my shoulder. She wouldn't look at me, or move, as she kept staring down at the men on the ground, afraid they would get back up again. Her right fist was still closed, and the pressure she applied to her side tightened._

"_Haruka, let's go. You're hurt and I don't want you to get sick."_

_She still wouldn't face me, and it hurt. I had never seen her so angry, this different. I looked over her face, her body, the blood running down to her fist. The rain was persistent, and both of our clothes were soaked. I wanted to get her out of here before she became sick. I needed to tend to her wounds._

_I couldn't tell how much of the blood was hers, or even how much she lost, but I needed to get her home. I needed to take care of her before something terrible happened. I wouldn't be able to live if something happened to her._

"_It's okay, Ruka," I began, trying to calm her down, "Please, let's go home." _

_After a moment of hesitation, she gave in. Her body slumped from exhaustion, but I held her up. She turned to me and gave me a sad, tired smile. _

"_I'm just glad you're okay," she whispered. _

_I frowned, as the guilt began to attack my heart, but I couldn't stop it. I knew she would always protect me, but sometimes I wished it wouldn't be like this. I couldn't stand to look at her defeated form, or the cuts and scars that decorated her body. It was extremely painful to me, and even more difficult not to break down and cry. _

"_Help me to my car, Michiru." _

_After a few moments of struggling to get into the car, Haruka relaxed against the seat, still holding on to her side. I got in the drivers seat and started the car, glancing at the pained look on her face at times. She was hurt, that was evident, but I didn't know what to do._

"_Michi…," I heard her whisper. I looked over at her, and she was staring at me with those eyes. She opened her mouth, but then closed it and simply smiled at me. I could only frown at her, and the tears began to slowly fall. "Please…smile." The desperate tone in her voice hurt me, but I smiled for her, regardless of how difficult it was. _

_We finally arrived at her apartment, and I helped her inside. We got to her room, and she sat down on the bed, still clutching her side. I rushed to her drawers and grabbed the first dry pieces of clothing that I could find. I helped Haruka take off her shirt and pants, ignoring the closeness and partial exposure of her body. _

_After putting dry shorts on her, I forced her to lie down. I carefully removed the hand clutching her side, and winced at the gash. She also had bruises along her stomach, and her knuckles were cut up pretty badly; I felt horrible. I cleaned her up as best as I could, and then sat down next to the bed. Haruka had her eyes closed, her breathing now relaxed, but I knew she wasn't sleeping. _

"_You're…too quiet," she began, opening her eyes to look at me._

_I looked down at my hands on my lap, and shrugged my shoulders. "What do you want me to say?" _

"_What're you thinking about?" There was short pause, and she grinned. "Besides the fact of how sexy you think I am half-naked." I smiled, and she laughed, before stopping and touching her side. "There's the smile I want to see," she finished. _

_I took hold of her hand in mine, squeezing it, and deciding to stare at it than those emerald eyes of hers. _

"_I'm just thinking about you…how you always seem to protect me, and take care of me. You're so selfless, so protective and always there for me. I don't know if I can ever repay you for everything you've done. I mean, I feel bad about today and-"_

"_You shouldn't." I moved my gaze to look into her eyes. She frowned slightly. "I protect you because I want to, and because I care about you. That…that smile of yours is amazing, and my happiness reflects off of your own. Michiru, I've told you before how I promise to take care of you…so don't think that it was false in any sense. Now, there's no reason to feel guilty about any of this. I'm okay, and I'm going to be completely fine." _

_I smiled softly at her, whispering a soft thank you as I squeezed her hand once again. I excused myself from the room to get a comforter so she could rest. When I returned, she laid there, her eyes closed with her arm draped over her eyes, the other over her stomach; she fell asleep. _

_I put the comforter over her body, looking over the damage the fight had done before completely covering her. I knew she meant what she said, in regard to protecting me, but I was still surprised by the persistence in those words of hers. She just risked her life for me, she protected me in a way that nobody ever had before. Yet, she asked for nothing in return, except this smile of mine. _

_I went to the other side of the bed and laid down myself. I stared at her calm face for a while, taking in everything about her. I carefully ran a hand through her hair, something I had always wanted to do myself, and found myself enjoying the feel of it. I traced my hand down the side of her face, over her cheek and to her jaw line where I stopped. I frowned at the bruises there, before pulling my hand away. I turned around and curled up into a ball, my back facing her. _

_As I dozed off, I heard rustling and then felt movement. I felt an arm snake around my waist, and myself being pulled closer to a strong front side. Her cheek rested on my shoulder, and I felt the small smile on her lips. I didn't say anything, but smiled to myself, enjoying the moment. _

_Haruka was always going to be there for me, regardless of the circumstance. She always found a way to protect me, to make sure that I was going to be all right and that nobody was going to hurt me, whoever they might be. I knew I was beginning to fall for her that time she helped me with the audition, but now. Now, as I thought of that smile of hers, of those gorgeous emerald eyes, I knew that I had already fallen. I didn't even think to get back up._

I opened my eyes to stare up at the ceiling. The fan spun quickly, as the memories slowly started to fade from my mind. I was being brought back to a reality that I didn't want to live in at the moment. It seemed as if everything was going wrong, and nothing going the way it was supposed to be. None of this was supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to be in that hospital bed, still unconscious.

They wouldn't let me see her. They wouldn't let me see her at all. I did everything I could in order to, but my words weren't persuasive enough, they didn't sound desperate enough. I begged, I pleaded, but I got the same answer each time. I was eventually escorted out of the building by security when I tried to force my way into her room. I didn't know what else to do, so I fell to my knees and broke down. I cried, because I was being denied of something that I shouldn't have been. I loved her, and I needed to see her. I wanted to make sure she was okay. I wanted to hold her hand.

I tightly shut my eyes when the memory of what happened came back, the whole situation hurting my fragile heart.

"_Haruka…," I whispered._

_My heart broke when I heard the constant beep of the flat line._

_I covered my ears to block out that sound. Maybe if I couldn't hear it, then it couldn't be true. I slowly shook my head. _

"_This is all a dream…it's simply a dream."_

_I could faintly hear the nurses and doctor speaking quickly to each other, but the commotion didn't make me turn around. I stared down at the floor, simply not knowing what else to do. What could I do? _

_I felt hands around me, forcing me to stand up. _

"_M'am, you shouldn't be in here," a nurse said. _

_I turned to look at her, a broken but fierce look in my eyes. "I'm not going anywhere," I said. _

_She didn't even flinch or hesitate as she started guiding me out of the room. I struggled, trying to break free from her hold, but then another nurse came to aid her in the effort of making me leave the room. _

_As they finally started pulling me out of the room, I caught a glimpse of Haruka's still body lying on the table. My heart broke even more from the sight, but I wasn't going to give up. I wasn't going to let this nightmare become a reality. _

_I struggled even more when I saw the doctor glance at his watch. _

"_No, don't give up yet!" I yelled to him. _

_He didn't pay attention to me. I seemed to be losing the struggle as I was almost out of the room. _

"_Haruka…Haruka, don't give up!" I yelled to her. I wasn't going to let this happen. My words were all I had at the moment and I wasn't going to stay silent forever. _

"_Haruka…wake up! You need to wake up!" I was able to pull free from a nurse, and moved more into the room before she could get another grip on my arm to pull me away._

"_Haruka…I know you can hear me! Please, don't do this to me." The doctor gave me a look that I couldn't decipher before turning away once again. This was my last chance. This was my only chance. _

_I wasn't going to lie to myself anymore._

"_Haruka, I love you! I love you!" I yelled before I was pulled out completely._

_The nurses stopped when I heard a beep. More beeping followed, and they completely let me go to return inside the room. _

_I stayed where I was, holding on to the wall, leaning against the door frame. I glanced at the monitor and slightly smiled. I slid down to the ground, leaning my tired body against the wall. She was going to be okay, she was going to survive. I held my head in my hands and let the tears fall. _

That was three days ago, and now here I was in her apartment. I didn't know where else to go. After I was forced to leave the hospital, I unconsciously ended up here and fell asleep on her couch. I had no energy left, all my strength was gone and my body finally shut down. I needed the rest, as much as I didn't want to sleep.

Now, being reminded of all these things has only made me realize how much I truly to love Haruka. She was always there for me in the past, always ready to make me smile and I never noticed it then, for some reason. Now that I do, it feels as if it's too late, as if I wasted all this time and I could only feel foolish for doing such a thing. But, I didn't know what to do. They wouldn't let me see her, and there were still questions I had that I wanted answers to.

I sighed before getting off the bed. I put the picture where it was, and took off the shirt to place it back on the hanger that I took it off from. The scent stayed on me however, and I was thankful for that. It was the only thing I had of her for the time being, and I didn't want it to leave.

For right now, these memories were all I had of her. Her smile, that smell and those eyes of hers, each brought back a memory that I so longed for again, since it was all I could use to make myself smile. I closed the closet door, grabbed my purse, and walked quickly out of the door. I wasn't going to give up with finding answers to my questions. I was going to create more memories with her by my side. I was going to create a life with her.

I fixed my clothing and my hair. I needed to find some answers, and I wasn't going to get them by just lying around and doing nothing.

I needed to see Yoshiro.

* * *

**Yoshiro**

"How could you have been so careless?"

"Careless? How was I being careless?"

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Tenoh saw you! And now that you didn't accomplish what you were supposed to, he can give you away."

I scoffed. "I doubt…he'll…remember anything. Look, we're not even sure he'll wake up. I was able to inject some of the drug into his bloodstream, so we're just going to have to wait to see what happens."

Yabe paced back and forth, his arms crossed, thinking to himself. It was annoying. He finally stopped then turned to face me. "You need to keep quiet about this. You need to just act normal."

"That's what I've been doing, and everything is fine," I answered. "I don't know why you're getting so crazy about this. It's no big deal." I leaned my hands on the chair in front of me.

"It's no big deal? Yoshiro, you don't understand what would happen if anyone found out about what you did. Especially if they traced it back to me." He grabbed his hair. "Just think of what would happen to me!"

I sighed, annoyed by his words and attitude. "Nobody is going to find out. Now, you need to fucking calm down, Yabe!"

He glared at me, the anger only enjoyable to me. I sat down on the chair I was leaning on. I leaned back with my arms crossed and rested my feet on his desk. "I didn't leave any evidence behind, so don't worry about it."

He went to my side of the desk, and then pushed my feet off. I just simply shrugged.

"What about that girl? What about Kaioh? Did she see anything?"

I shook my head. "No, she was outside of the room."

Yabe nodded his head, and then sat on his desk. "And does she suspect anything?"

"I doubt it, but even if she does, I can convince her otherwise. Look, Yabe, I told you that everything would work out. Don't worry, man."

His face finally changed, and he laughed. The laughter sounded as if it was full with malice, as if he didn't care about anybody but himself. He probably didn't, but I didn't care; he could do whatever he wished. As long as I got what I wanted.

"We still have a lot of things to do, Yoshiro. We still have a lot of lies to tell, a lot of people to convince and we have to keep this up as best as we can."

I finally stood up, facing him with a determination that even I didn't know I had.

"Like I told you before, as long as you help me get Michiru, I'll help you destroy Haruka's life."

* * *

I finished packing up my bag, stuffing in the contents before pulling the zipper across. I slammed the locker and turned to leave.

I froze.

I didn't expect to see her here…at least, not so soon. She should be somewhere else, she should be crying somewhere and losing her mind. I stared at her, into her eyes, noticing a difference in her. She changed in this short amount of time, and it alarmed me. I wasn't sure what she was thinking right now, but I needed to just keep this charade up, to keep these lies from getting tangled up, and everything would be okay. It was all going to work out in the end, and she was going to be mine. She was going to be all mine.

"Michiru, what're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the hospital or something?" I began, slinging the strap of my bag over my shoulder. I had to appear as if her presence didn't bother me.

"I just wanted to ask you some questions. I mentioned the other day that I wanted to talk about everything you said, and I meant it."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not sure if I can be of any help. There's somewhere I need to be, so…" I proceeded to walk past her, but she grabbed my arm, and roughly pulled me back. I stared at her in confusion.

"I'm not going to leave you alone, regardless of where you have to be," she explained.

She let go, and I retracted my arm. Stay calm, just stay calm. Don't let her see your confusion. Everything was going to be fine.

"Fine," I began, sitting down on the bench behind me and placing my bag on the ground, "What questions did you have in mind?" I figured that I might as well amuse her, and try to keep this thing going.

"Haruka didn't win the race, did he?"

I gripped the edge of the bench, trying to quickly come up with something I could say to her question. I couldn't give myself away, and I couldn't compromise something I had worked so hard to plan. I grinned to myself when I thought of the perfect answer.

"No, Tenoh didn't win the race."

"Then why did you tell me that he won if it wasn't true? Why should I believe everything you said at the hospital if you lied about this?"

I stood up and held up my hands. "Hold on there, Michiru. Don't be blaming me for this. Tenoh told me to tell you that."

Michiru looked confused, lost. "Why would he do that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "You're going to have to ask him that yourself. I can't give you an answer."

Michiru crossed her arm, and just stared at the ground. She frowned, deep in thought, but all I could think of was how fucking sexy she looked. I so badly just wanted to have her right there, right now, but I knew it wasn't time yet. Just a little longer. She finally looked back to me.

"What happened in the room when I wasn't there? Something happened, and you were afraid, and-"

"Yeah, afraid for Tenoh's life," I interjected. "I was scared because I didn't want to see him die. Am I supposed to act all calm when something like that happens?"

She shook her head. "No, there was something else going on. The fear I saw in your eyes was different. It seemed as if you were afraid for your own safety."

She walked closer to me, staring me down. I didn't look away.

"I don't know what you're talking about. As far as I know, you looked the same way…you were afraid, too."

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "You're not helping me any, Yoshiro." She shook her head, before looking back at me. "I know there's something you're hiding from me, and I'm going to find out about it. Trust me, I will."

I laughed, and she stared at me as if I had gone crazy. "I find it hilarious that you think so badly of me. I'm not hiding anything from you. What reason have I to do that? Tenoh is the one who's lying to you and-"

"Stop saying that!" she interrupted, and I stared at her. "Stop saying that Haruka is lying to me, that this is his entire fault because that's just a huge lie." She pushed me, and I hit the lockers behind me. This was so unlike her, but I didn't care. Let her be angry, let her be confused with all of this; it didn't matter to me. She would never be able to find out the truth anyway. "You're the one who put him in the hospital, so I have no reason to trust you. I don't even know why I did in the first place."

Michiru turned around to walk away, but I grabbed her shoulder. "Michiru, don't be like this. I haven't done anything wrong. I haven't!"

She hit away my arm, and then slapped me. My cheek burned, but I didn't care. "Don't you even think of coming near me ever again, Yoshiro. Once I get to the bottom of this, you're going to be in a lot of trouble. I promise you that."

She walked away finally, and I let her go. There was nothing else I had to say, and I knew she would only yell at me if I did.

I sat down on the bench, and gripped the edges once more. I didn't expect to see her here, nevertheless everything she said. I could have sworn that she believed me the other day at the hospital, but I guessed she changed her mind. Either that or she never believed me to begin with. I looked up to watch her retreating form, and grinned. I would have to be more careful around her from now on. She was more clever than I thought, but I was even more so.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Yes, Mr. Takane…this is Dr. Watanabe."

I stood up. "Yes, what can I do for you?"

He coughed. "Well, it seems that Haruka Tenoh seems to be regaining consciousness, and I know that you wanted me to inform you when that happened."

I swallowed my anger. "Yes, I did. How is everything going?"

"Well, Mr. Tenoh only seemed to suffer from a moderate traumatic brain injury. The only side effects from that are confusion, which lasts for a varied amount of time, and physical, cognitive and/or behavioral impairments, which also vary. All in all though, we expect a full recovery. So, there's really nothing to worry about. Mr. Tenoh was lucky."

I rubbed my neck. "That's great to hear. What a relief."

"If you'd like, you can come over to visit."

"Yes, yes, thank you very much, Doctor. I'll be right over."

I closed the phone, placing it back into my pocket. I stood there, clenching my fists.

"Fuck!" I punched the locker, and then kicked the bench. I kept punching the lockers until my knuckles started bleeding. I sat on the ground and leaned against the lockers.

I didn't think Tenoh was going to wake up. I for sure thought the drug would affect him to a worse extent, but I was wrong. I should have known better though. I didn't even inject all of it. Damn…if only he hadn't woken up in the first place.

_I took another deep breath, about to inject the drug into his bloodstream. That was when I felt a hand tightly grasp my wrist. Surprised, I spit out the cap from my mouth and looked up to find Tenoh staring up at me._

"_What…are you doing?" he said tiredly. _

_I panicked, and pulled my arm free. He grabbed my arm again, his grip surprisingly strong. I couldn't pull away. _

_I tried to keep quiet, as I pushed forward and leaned my body on his arms. I stared into those eyes of his, noticing the anger and the hatred that he held for me, and I became afraid, regardless of the state he was in. I leaned more of my body on him, preventing him from moving. He had strength, but only so much. _

_I knew that I wouldn't be able to inject his arm, so I grabbed the IV, and inserted the needle. He struggled, thrashed and tried to yell, but his voice was weak from not talking for a week. _

_I pushed the drug into his bloodstream, and after a moment, his grip became weak and I got off of him. I pulled the sheet, so I could fix it, and that was when I noticed it. That was when I noticed something I didn't expect. How could I have not seen it before? I was so stupid. _

_Tenoh's fists clenched, and he stared at me. He just stared at me…and I could only stare back. I covered his body with the sheet, and then backed away as I heard the nurses running towards us. The machines were beeping rapidly and louder, but I just backed away. I carefully and quickly placed the needle back into my jacket, noticing I didn't inject all of it, before putting my gloves back on. _

_I looked back at Tenoh, and he was clearly in pain, and yet…he kept staring at me. I didn't know what to think of it. _

_I looked away, actually feeling afraid. He saw me, and now if this didn't work, he could compromise me and ruin my entire plan. And then, there was the other thing. I was too shocked to really think about it, though. When I looked back, the nurses were there, and I caught a glimpse of Michiru at the door. I tried to act even more afraid, as if I was worried about Tenoh. I was, but just in a different way. I could only hope that things would work out the way I planned. _

I stood up, deciding to drive over to the hospital. I needed to be there when he talked to Michiru. I needed to make sure that he didn't give me away.

* * *

**Michiru**

I walked down the hallway, the feeling from before rushing back to me. I couldn't help but think of the other day, of when I walked down this hallway and everything just seemed to go wrong from there. I slightly leaned against the wall, as I tried to rid my brain of those thoughts.

It was different now. She was okay. She was awake. It was all going to be okay.

When I reached the room, I stood at the door. Haruka was lying in the bed, her eyes open, just staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you just going to stand there?" she said softly. It was low, but I heard her. I missed that voice of hers so very much.

I walked in, and stopped at her bedside. She looked over to me, and those eyes of hers…I just wanted to kiss her so badly. I smiled out of relief. "I'm glad you're okay, Haruka. You have no idea." She grinned, and then opened her hand toward me. I grabbed it and gently squeezed it. Her touch…I started to cry.

"I've missed you," she said. She weakly pulled at my hand, and I bent down to embrace her. I let the tears fall, my body shaking and my cries loud. She wrapped her other arm around me as best as she could, but it meant more than she probably thought.

"I was scared I was going to lose you," I confessed. She didn't say anything. Her grip only tightened. After a few minutes, I stopped crying then pulled away and wiped at my face.

There was so much we needed to talk about.

I grabbed the chair, and pulled it closer. I sat down, still holding on to her hand. "Do you remember anything, Haruka?"

She shook her head. "Not really…it's all a blur. How long has it been?"

"Ten days."

She just laughed. "I wonder how it's going in Europe," she mused.

I paused. "Why…why didn't you tell me that you lost the race?"

Haruka turned to look at me. "I never told you that I won, Michiru. You just assumed I did."

I frowned. "I knew it…"

"You knew what?"

"Yoshiro…he lied to me. He's probably been lying to me about everything."

Haruka's heart monitor sped up some. "What has he been telling you?"

I leaned closer to Haruka, holding her hand in both of mine. "Haruka, I need you to be honest with me and-"

"I haven't been lying to you in the first place, Michi. You know me better than that."

I did, and I was foolish to ever believe Yoshiro's words…ever. I was stupid to trust him in the beginning. I should have known that his intentions were malicious from the start.

"What's going on with you and Yoshiro, Haruka? Please, tell me what's going on so I can help you."

She frowned, and looked away from me. She seemed to be thinking, and I was surprised. I, for sure, thought she would immediately tell me. I took a breath, telling myself that it was okay.

Before I could say something else, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to find Yoshiro standing there, his hands in his jacket pockets. I became angry. I didn't know why he was here, but he wasn't welcome. I felt Haruka squeeze my hand. When I looked back at her, she was staring at Yoshiro, before turning back to me.

She looked lost, sad. "I'm sorry, Michiru, but I don't know what you're talking about."

* * *

**There's that chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it clears up some things. Tell me what you think! I want to know. Criticism is always welcome…it helps me. Just don't be too hard on me. I'm still new at this pairing, but I really am trying. If you don't already know, I love using flashbacks. I just like it more. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Take care!**

**-Nightfall5029**


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